Return of the Blue Flame
by HeyThereItsMe
Summary: Zuko knows only two things: one, the most wanted prisoner in the entire Fire Nation has escaped. Two, dealing with girl problems is almost harder than running a country. Post-war, eventual Zuko/OC, otherwise canon pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**Return of the Blue Flame**

_AN: Hi! HeyThereItsMe here, posting this for my BFF Marissa… Who is an ATLA fanatic, by the way. We'll be co-writing this story. _

_There will be many canon characters in this story, which isn't something we do often… So let us know if someone's OOC or something. _

_Reviews are welcome!_

_We don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, it's characters, worlds, or anything else. _

_Honest. We don't. _

_**Chapter One**_

"Avatar Aang is alive. I can feel it."  
"Well the spirits obviously don't believe so."  
The little girl sat before them, playing with her toys, giggling the whole time.  
"Well what do we do? We can't let the Fire Nation know she's alive... They won't have mercy on her."

Avatar Aurora sat on the floor, the conversation of the two adults going over her head.

This small girl had been born with her mother's skills of waterbending, even though she was born into the Fire Nation. Her father had told her at an extremely young age that she wasn't allowed to waterbend in the village; that it was too dangerous. Little Aurora then shocked her parents by going out and, having nothing else to do, learned the difficult art of firebending.

"I know what you mean, Hana. We can't let them find out about her..."

Hana's dark blue eyes looked over the little girl in front of them and took in every detail. The unique blonde hair that fell straight down to her middle-back. The clear, water-blue eyes that sparkled as she picked up a small doll. The pale pink lips that broke into a smile so often that you would have thought the small child was always happy. She was four... Only four...

"What are we going to do Kei? We can't keep her locked up all her life!"

"I know that! Just... Give me a minute to think."

The father paced the room with his amber eyes narrowed in thought. The mother bent down and smiled at the little girl who offered up her doll for her to play with.

A few moments later, Hana stood up and Kei smiled.

"What if you both go to the Northern Water Tribe? You'd both be safe there!"

"But Kei..."

"You should go, I mean it Hana." The man's voice was firm but in a this-is-for-your-own-good way.

The woman sighed. "Okay."

She picked up the little girl who smiled and giggled as her mom bounced her and her blonde hair swung around her shoulders.

"What do you think, Aurora? You wanna go to the Northern Water Tribe with me?"

"Yeah!" The little girl giggled with delight. The dad smiled as someone came into their small house.

The man who came in had short dark hair and amber eyes. He was tall and broad shouldered with an anxious look on his face.

"Kei," he said in a deep and booming voice. "Men are storming the village. We're trying to get everyone out but we don't have enough time!"

Kei nodded and began to walk out with him, but he turned in the doorway. "Hana, you and Aurora get out of here." Then he walked out.

The little girl looked at her mom, her smile gone.

"Mommy, what's going on?" she asked in a small voice.

"Nothing," said Hana as she made her way toward the back door and opened it. "We're going to the Northern Water-"

She stopped as she looked outside and saw the fire blazing right outside their backdoor. The brilliant colors were blinding orange and red, giving the sky above a murderous red glow. Black smoke and ash was suffocating Hana and Aurora. Hana set down the small child and did a few swift and fluid motions and water streamed out of the house in a large wave. It put out a piece of the fire long enough and small enough for her to push Aurora through. After that the fire roared back to life.

"Mom!" Aurora tried to break back through the flames.

"Go Aurora! Go and hide! I'll be there soon!" With that, she turned back into the house.

Aurora hesitated and then turned toward the trees. She ran through the tall, dark, and intimidating trees and hid behind a particularly large one and sat down.

After about an hour, she looked around the tree and walked back toward the village. The sky was dark, but she'd played in these woods several times and expertly maneuvered through the underbrush. She froze as she reached her house. Or, what was left at least.

All around her was ash. Black and crumbling ash. The wood that held her house up had crumbled in on itself. She slowly crossed the threshold and passed it. She walked through the rest of the village and saw the same result everywhere she went. Burned wood and crumbled buildings. The smell of death filled her nostrils and she refused to go further. Instead, she went back to her house, sat down on the top of the crumpled mound, and cried.

_The Next Morning_

Ursa carefully moved through the trees and saw the black all around. Several of the guards and volunteers had come with her. Ozai was supposed to observe the clean-up, but other issues had come up. So she had come clean-up began on-time and she decided to look at some of the other houses.

She was walking through some trees when she heard it. A small sound. She moved through the trees and the sound grew louder. A whimpering like an animal or something crying. The trees thinned and she saw it. A small girl with an odd hair color that was streaked with ash. She was very little and sat on a giant pile of rubble, hugging her knees and crying.

Ursa walked up to her and bent down.

"Are you all right?" she asked in a quiet voice. The small girl shook her head from side to side. "What's your name?"

The girl looked up with clear blue eyes that had red whites from so much crying.

"Aurora," she replied in a shaky voice.

Ursa smiled kindly. "Do you know what happened?"

Aurora nodded and told the woman what happened. As she rattled off the tale, Ursa listened intently. When the story was over, the woman's amber eyes twinkled and she picked up the girl, covered in black soot, and carried her back toward the rest of the village. The small child was so exhausted that she fell asleep on her shoulder.

Even as Ursa rode back to the Fire Nation palace, the girl didn't wake up. She walked through the halls and carried the little girl all the way. Young Prince Zuko ran up to her and frowned at the girl in his mom's arms. He tugged on her sleeve and and Ursa smiled down at him and put a single finger to her lips. The boy nodded and walked off ahead of her to open a door. His mother gave him a grateful smile and walked inside. The boy put his ear to the door when it closed as his sister walked up.

"What are you doing?" she asked, narrowing her amber eyes.

"Mom brought in a little girl from that village she went to clean-up!"

"What?" Azula knelt next to her brother and put her ear to the door. They could barely make out some of the words.

"But Ozai! She was the only one left! She doesn't have anywhere else to go!"

"I don't care Ursa! She's not our responsibility!"

Azula smiled and Zuko seemed worried.

"I'm not asking your permission Ozai! I'm telling you that this girl is going to stay here!"

Ozai said a few inaudible words and both the children strained to hear more. However, the rest of the conversation was in hushed whispers. After a few minutes, the door opened and the brother and sister scrambled out of the way as their mother walked out with the little girl, smiling. Azula and Zuko ran to catch up.

"She's not staying, is she?" asked Azula the same time as Zuko said, "She is staying, isn't she?"

Ursa smiled. "She's staying. But shh, she's still asleep."

"Still? How could a normal human being sleep through so much?" asked Azula and Zuko frowned at her.

"Her whole village was burned down! What do you think Azula?" snapped her brother.

"I think she's weird and that she doesn't belong here," she commented back with a hint of pride. "Only the royal family and servants live here. So that must make her a servant!"

"Does not!"

"Does, too!"

"Shh," said their mother as she opened a door to a room. She set the little girl on the bed and covered her with a blanket. "She's staying, now let her rest."

With that, the mother walked out with her two children.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: To the TWO people who favorited/alerted this story, thankyouthankyouthankyou. Now, to everyone else, REVIEW. Reviews=love!_

_And now I shall turn it over to the Authoress herself..._

_Hello, I'm Marissa. HeyThereIt'sMe, my BFF, dragged me into this._

_**HTIM**__: * maniacal laughter* Yes. Yes I did._

_Anyway, this is my first fanfiction I've ever done so please tell me if it's any good. Be completely honest about what you like about it, don't like about it, what you think could be made better and how, and ect. Seriously! Let me know! Everything helps and I will read all you comments. I might not update very often because of this trivial thing called highschool and homework which I know none of us enjoy._

_Now, I think I'm supposed to say that even though I truly wish I did, I do not own the world of Avatar: the Last Airbender nor the canon characters within it. Thankyou to HeyThereIt'sMe for helping me write this fanfiction and thankyou to the readers for adding this story to your favorite stories and having it send you a little message if I update. Farewell for now!_

_**Chapter Two**_

_One Year Later_

Little Aurora walked through the halls of the large palace she had learned to call home. She still didn't really know anyone or see anyone besides Ursa, who treated her like her own daughter. Day after day, she wandered; discovering new places all the time. Today, however, would probably change her life forever.

As she turned a corner, she walked straight into Prince Zuko. They both stumbled and Aurora grabbed the wall for support. She hadn't really run into _him, _but he certainly had been running when he turned that corner. Both of the children were knocked over and Zuko rubbed his head.

"Watch where you're- oh." He stopped as he looked at who he had hit. Even after these long months, he still didn't really know who this girl was. The blonde stood up and brushed off her robes.

"I'm sorry," she said coldly. You would have never guessed she was five by how mature she acted and sounded. She fixed her hair and straightened up. "I should have looked where I was going. My apologies, Prince Zuko." With that, she turned to leave.

Zuko scrambled to his feet.

"Wait! Where are you going?" he asked as he followed her down the hall.

"I don't know. Somewhere," she replied without looking back.

"Can I come with you?"

"Why would you want to?" she asked stopping.

"Well, why not? I've never really gotten to know you all that well," he said stopping beside her.

She smiled at the young prince. "That sounds fine."

The boy smiled and the two walked off down the hall.

_Four Years Later_

The two children laughed as they ran through the halls.

"I'm going to win!" shouted the little girl with her blonde hair whipping the air behind her.

"Not gonna happen!" retorted the boy as he caught up to her. "Your no match for me, Aurora!"

"Think again Zuko!" she said as she turned a corner and nearly ran into Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula. She quickly maneuvered around them and Zuko followed closely behind.

The two had been close friends for years now, and one could hardly see one without the other. Zuko had made the young Avatar a necklace with a wooden charm which had the Water Tribe's symbol engraved on it. Aurora tutored Zuko on his fire-bending and trusted only him with her secret; she especially trusted him because he had caught her when the tree branch she had been sitting on broke. No two could have been closer.

Aurora was nine and Zuko was ten. They'd done everything together and promised each other they would forever.

That is, until the death of Fire Lord Azulon. Ursa was banished, and without her, Aurora had no one to keep her from harm. So she wrote a note and left it where she knew Zuko would find it. She ran without turning back.

Dear Blaze,

It's not safe here anymore. If I stay, then bad things might happen to both of us. We know that your father never liked me and that Azula loathes me and always will. Nothing can change that. Just remember, you were, are, and always will be my best friend.

-Rory

Ta Min tore the clips out of her black hair, ignoring the clumps that came with them. Tears stung at her eyes, and she fell down on her bed.  
She should have known. All her life, she had compared herself to an object... Being trotted out for guests to gawk at, then locked back in her room. Being decorated and smiled at, but never spoken to.  
Now she knew. She was never treated like a child because, to her parents, she wasn't one.  
She was a disgrace. A mistake. Saved only by the grace of a general, who had killed her mother, and presumably her father.  
Her father. This was all his fault. Stupid, why marry a Water Tribe woman...  
There was a soft knock at her locked door.  
"Ta Min? Come out, Ta Min." Ki's voice came to the young girl.  
Her mother- correction, the woman who raised her- was stubborn. But Ta Min, at ten years old, was even more stubborn.  
More knocks. Ta Min began to pack her bags, each and every one of her red and yellow dresses, robes, slippers, clips, everything she  
could possibly fit into her bag.

She looked up, above the door. Double swords sat there, as decorations. Like her. They had become a part of her. In all of the training that her father had put her through, all of her lessons with her master.

They deserved to escape too. She tore them off the wall and climbed out of the large window, committing the escape she had planned so long ago.

She ran around the virtually empty streets of her town, gold and red buildings rising up around her. She had never been out of her home alone, and now that she was, she felt... Free. Weightless. There were no borders for her now.  
Eventually she came to the edge of a forest. It stood there, daunting and forbidding, in front of the petite girl. She put a hand on one of her swords, which were slung across her back, and walked in.  
She walked alone for several frightening hours, or at least it felt that way. After much walking, she came to see the faintest glow of... Was that a campfire?  
Overcome with joy, Ta Min began to run toward the flickering light. She forgot all stealth for a while, crashing and rambling through bushes and trees, the little spider-lizards and rodent-beetles scattering at her footsteps. Only when she could hear the faintest echo of conversations that she remembered not everyone in the forest could be her friend. She began to walk a little softer.  
She was able to make out words now. Mumbled conversations, hints of soft laughter. They were hiding from something, or someone...  
A crunchy leaf was squashed beneath her cautious foot, and suddenly the woods were deadly quiet. No one dared breathe, no creature stirred, no breath of wind touched the trees.  
In the suspended silence, she could hear every word of their hushed conversation.  
"Someone's coming."  
"Fire Nation?"  
"Probably."  
There was the sound of many weapons being drawn at once.  
Ta Min was frozen in place. They were going to hurt her, she thought frantically, they were going to kill her. Because she was Fire Nation.  
_But I'm not,_ she realized. The thought came into her mind like a douse of cold water. _I'm only half Fire Nation. _If she played her cards right, maybe she could get away with it...  
She took another few steps forward. The people by the campfire could obviously hear her coming, though they weren't going to shoot randomly at what they can't see. No, they were going to wait until she came into the pool of light, cast by their campfire.  
Another cautious step. "Hello?" she called out innocently. "Is anyone there?"  
Only a little bit farther. Surely by now they should see that she wasn't going to hurt them...  
"Hello?" she called again. Three more steps, two...  
She broke through the thick wall of trees and into a clearing, where several Earth Kingdom men, and even one or two women, were sitting around a campfire. She was wrong in assuming that _all _weapons had been drawn... in fact, only one or two men had a hand on their sword. Maybe they heard her call out.  
"Hi," she said nervously. She was torn... These Earth Kingdom men, who very well may kill her because of her nationality, or her parents, who wouldn't give her a second thought?  
Death, she decided, was a much better fate than just sitting around doing nothing. Death was, at the very least, an adventure.  
"Hi there," said one of the women, a slender, black-haired figure in a green dress. "What brings you here? It's awfully late to be in such dangerous woods."  
"I ran away," Ta Min said simply, trying to come up with some story to tell them. But how could she tell them a story, when she had no facts? She didn't know much about the war. She didn't know _anything _about Earth Kingdom people on Fire Nation soil.  
"Well, you look hungry," the woman said softly. "Come and eat with us, we're not going anywhere."  
No one else seemed to make any motions of agreement, but they didn't protest either. Ta Min slowly walked over towards the woman and sat down.  
"So," one of the men asked, "you got a name?" His voice was rough, but it was obvious he was trying to be gentle to the fragile girl.  
The woman handed Ta Min a bowl of something warm. "Ta Min," she said.  
"I'm Jin," the woman said with a smile.  
Some of the others looked as if they were going to introduce themselves as well, but at that moment a bleary-eyed boy, about Ta Min's age, came stumbling out of the tent with a handmade bow around his arm.  
"I heard voices," he said.  
Jin smiled at the little boy. "It's nothing, Yuan, go back to sleep.'  
The boy- Yuan- shook his head. "No, a warrior never sleeps."  
The woman stood up and walked toward Yuan, who Ta Min guessed was her son. "Come on," she was saying, "let's go to bed."  
"Who's she?" Yuan asked, pointing directly at Ta Min's forehead. "She's Fire Nation!"  
"That's nonsense, Yuan, of course she's not. Now be quiet before somebody hears you." Jin ushered Yuan back into the tent.  
Ta Min felt her blood run cold for a minute. Yuan... he knew her secret. He could tell with just a look. What about these men, who seemed much more advanced and experienced? In daylight, would she be shot down for being Fire Nation?  
"You never did tell us why you were here," another man said, who seemed much nicer then the first who had spoken. "I'm Tong, by the way."  
She smiled at Tong, and managed to get sound to spill from her lips. "I ran away. They... they were hurting me."  
About a dozen sets of eyes looked at her in sympathy, and it was then when she knew that these Earth Kingdom men and women would accept her, no matter what nation she was from, because all that mattered was one thing: she had run away. And she was _never _going back.


	3. Chapter 3

It's cold. But, hey, November's almost over! And that means regular updates again. I've been doing so well with my word count (ha, not really) that I thought I'd give a little treat to y'all. :)

Usual disclaimer applies. –HTIM

Hey there. Marissa here, again. Sorry it's been so long since the last update. Not my fault! Really! There's this thing called National Novel Writing Month and school that always get in the way. Why? No clue. There's also this thing called HeyThereIt'sMe **(ha, ha. –htim)** not posting it. Haha. Hope u enjoy! Actual action is to come!

_**Chapter Three**_

Aurora had traveled far and wide, searching for masters to help her with the elements. All the while, she secretly hoped Zuko would follow her, find her, take her back. But he never did.  
She mastered waterbending at the Northern Water Tribe, firebending she practiced on her own, and earthbending was quickly learned during her stay in Omashu. All the while, wishing she was home. Home in the Fire Nation, full of assassins, murders, and thieves. But no matter what, she missed it.  
As the years stretched on, she found herself not thinking about it as much. Instead, she thought about Zuko. Zuko, who never came. Zuko, who never understood. Zuko, who never cared. When she was sad, she would think of him and become angry. She never wanted to see his traitorous face again. Not in person, not in the wanted posters filling the city streets. Never again.

"You know what we're gonna do when this war is over?" Yuan asked.  
Ta Min smiled. "Humor me."  
The two were walking toward the Impenetrable City. Ba Sing Sei. Where they were hoping to work underground, fight, work at the war.  
"We are gonna get married," he said very matter-of-factly. Before she could react, he continued. "We're gonna get married in the Northern Water Tribe. Then we'll honeymoon in Omashu."  
As they walked, Yuan began to twist and dip her as if they were dancing, and Ta Min had to giggle. They had been friends for nearly three years now, and they were just beginning to move on beyond friendship. It was strange, unexplored territory for both of them, but Yuan was a natural.  
Eventually he slipped his hands around her neck. She looked down to examine why, when she saw it. An engagement necklace, not unlike the ones from the Water Tribe.  
It was woven of several thin, tough vines that had yellowed with age and a wooden pendant with the symbol of a full moon. The waterbending symbol. She was touched.  
"You and your crazy ideas," she laughed, but the idea held promise. _If _the war ever ended, that is. Married in the Water Tribe... honeymooning in the Earth Kingdom... The thought was unheard of. Travelling the world so freely.  
"And," Yuan added, "for the grand finale..." He dipped her and they froze, so that his lips were right by her ear. "We can go to the Fire Nation. Just the two of us." He then smiled as if this were the grandest idea in the world.  
"Oh Yuan," Ta Min sighed, shaking her head. "You wouldn't like it there."  
He set her back on her feet and they were walking again. "Oh?"  
"No, not a bit. It's all city... Just a city of red and gold. No wilderness, no wide-open space, no freedom... Just paved streets and brick houses." This was true. But not the reason Ta Min never wanted to return home. No, she was too afraid of the memories, the thoughts that would come back there. Her hatred and love for her family, for the world she grew up in...  
"Come on, Min," he laughed. "It can't be _that _bad."  
"You've seen it," she pointed out.  
"Oh, but that was years ago..." His eyes were wide with pleading.  
"No. You've seen the people that come out of that place... It's no place you'd want to go for fun."  
Yuan deliberated this for a moment, then finally gave up. "Fair enough. We can vacation at the Southern Water Tribe or something."  
Ta Min wrinkled her nose, and Yuan laughed. The two walked for several more minutes- hours?- until they came to a small hill.  
"Over this hill lays Ba Sing Sei. Are you ready, my dear Min?" Yuan asked.  
Ta Min smiled and nodded. "Ready."  
Without warning, Yuan covered her eyes and began to lead her up the hill slowly.  
"I can't see," she pointed out.  
"That's the point."  
It was one step after the other. Part of her was afraid- what if they were ambushed and she couldn't see? What if she tripped and fell and was hurt? What if, what if...  
There was a sharp gasp and Yuan's hands tore from her eyes. She blinked a few times, getting used to the light again, when she saw it.  
Machines. She had never seen machines like this. Surrounding the huge famed wall of Ba Sing Sei.  
They were _breaking through. _  
"Ta Min."  
She didn't register anything.  
_Ba Sing Sei? _  
_ Or Na Sing Sei?_  
_ "Min." _Yuan's voice fit into this picture somewhere.  
"We need to go... We need to go now.." She began to scramble away, slipping on dirt and attempting to run.  
"Min!" Now he had her attention. "What are we here for?"  
She had nearly forgotten. "To help with the war... But... The Fire Nation has _taken _Ba Sing Sei!"  
He held out a hand to her. She grabbed it and used it to pull herself up. "We're here to help with the war. _This _is the war. Right here."  
"No... Yuan, please..."  
"Give me your swords."  
"What?"  
"You heard me."  
Ta Min reached behind her. Her trusty swords... She spent more time with them than without them. She took them off and handed them to Yuan without a word.  
"Don't... I mean..." She began to tear up. "You can't beat them. It's one against... a whole army."  
He turned to look at them. "They have a weak spot. See," he pointed it out to her. "It's a seige- they're not letting anything in or out. So they wouldn't be trying to break through the walls, not yet at least. The blind spot right there, looks to me like a sewage drain."  
"No... We could head back to your parents. Go back to Omashu, or something. It's not safe, right now..."  
He pulled her in for a kiss, long and deep, before running off to execute his plan without another word.  
Ta Min watched from the shadows as Yuan snuck around the armies. As he was caught- they _were _trying to break through the wall. As her swords found themselves in the greasy hands of a battalion. As he was killed by two laughing soldiers.  
That night, she was sobbing into the folds of her dress. Her feet were swollen, her shoes had been taken off three or four miles away. She didn't know how far she had run, or how long. All she knew was that she had run so far that she had to stop and collapse.  
She felt naked, weaponless, with nothing but a ratty old bag of hand-me-down clothes and Yuan's necklace.  
Yuan. His murder brought on a new wave of tears. It was my fault, it was my fault, it was my fault...  
A voice caught her ears. It was a singing voice... A tuneless melody.  
"La la, de da, hm hm, hm hm," the voice sang happily.  
Ta Min rose and reached behind her. Then she remembered what had happened to her precious swords.  
A slender girl, maybe only ten or eleven, dressed in all pink, came cartwheeling out. She was the source of the singing.  
Upon seeing Ta Min, eyes swollen with crying and feet swollen with running, the little girl immediately ran to her.  
"Oh you poor thing!" she cried. "Look at you... You're so sad! Oh, even your aura is pale blue! What happened?"  
Chatty little thing. Ta Min only picked up two or three words of the entire sentence. She shook her head, trying to indicate that she didn't understand.  
"Do you have a place to stay for the night? Come with me, you can stay with me and my family. I have a big family, you know, but they're not my real family. Oh, no, I ran away from them a long time ago. But my new family, they're amazing. Say, what's your name? Where you from?"  
"Ta Min. I'm from..." Where was she from? She didn't remember. It was a place... a place not many people liked... Right? But she liked the place... No, she didn't.  
The girl studied Ta Min's facial features. "You must be from the Fire Nation! That's amazing, so am I! Do you know what part? What island? I'm from Brasa Island, though I doubt you've heard about it, and besides, I grew up near the Capital anyway."  
The girl continued to prattle until she realized Ta Min wasn't listening.  
"Where are my manners, I almost forgot. I'm Ty Lee."


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Well… We are back from finals and high school and whatnot, and ready for CHRISTMAS BREAK! Wa-hoo! To everybody else out there, stay healthy, happy holidays, etc. _

_So we're out of backstory and into the main plot now. Thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited/alerted/whatever. To know that people like our story (especially with the unpopular Zuko/OC pairing) makes us want to write more. _

_Anyway. Reviews, reviews? _

_Usual disclaimer applies. _

**Chapter Four**

Ta Min hummed to herself softly, wiping down a wooden counter decorated with a dozen sparkling necklaces. Her black hair was tied up in a messy style, an apron was tied around her slender waist. She was sixteen years old and made a meager living working in this tiny shop in Ba Sing Sei.  
The city itself was healing, after the war had ended, just as Ta Min was still healing. People were coming out of the shadows, at least, the ones who hadn't already after the Avatar had made a surprise visit. The Dai Li had been dismissed, obviously, and the world was mending itself slowly but surely.  
An old Fire Nation folk tune escaped her lips, the words barley making any sound, inside the little building of the bustling market.  
Normally the city wouldn't be this busy, but there had been talk of the new Fire Lord coming to make a visit- nobody wanted to miss this. So visitors had flooded in, from each of the three nations. Greens, blues, and even reds were visible in the crowds outside.  
The tiny metal bell gave a sharp _ting. _Someone had walked into the shop. A slender girl with a strange hair color had come in and began to peruse the necklaces. She had dark blue eyes that scanned the jewelry with a silent interest and her hair was a golden color that fell like a wavy river around her shoulders. She was wearing blue, so she must have been from one of the Water Tribes. The girl picked up a thin blue necklace, fingered her own that she was wearing, and set it back down. The necklace was... odd. It had a thin, long chain and a wooden charm that hung on it. Engraved on the square charm, was the symbol for the Water Tribe; which confirmed Ta Min's theory. Then she looked up and smiled.  
"Hello," she said. Her voice sounded young, even though the girl looked to be sixteen or so. "Do you work here?"  
Ta Min merely nodded. Usually no one spoke much in this shop unless they came in together or met someone they knew. And no one _ever _wanted to speak with the workers.  
"Nice to meet you! Do you live here? Or are you just here for the celebration?"  
"I live here." _It must be the war being over, that's why everyone wants to talk, _she thought.

"For how long? You been here a while?"

"I guess."

"I just got here a few weeks ago. I love it here though, it's so beautiful now that the war is over. Won't ever be the same though, don't you agree?"

"Yeah," said Ta min as she puzzled over whether this girl was here alone or with family. She seemed eager to talk with someone.

"Life will probably never go back to normal," she said sadly, looking back down at the necklaces. "How much so these cost?"

"Depends on what kind of currency you use."

"Um... Do you take Water Tribe money?"

"Sure, the exchange rate is really good down here. 'Specially with all the visitors. It'll be three pieces."

"Okay," she said as she looked over the blue necklace again. "Do you like this?"

"Yeah, it's really pretty." Ta Min had honestly been hoping no one would buy it because she had been going to get it once she was off work.

"All right, I'll get it."

Ta Min exchanged the money and handed the necklace to the girl. "Here you go!" she said with a false smile.

"Thank you!" Then, to her surprise, the girl handed her the necklace.

Ta Min blinked. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's for you! Take it! A present!"

"Why..?" Ta Min blinked again. "Why would you get this for me? You don't even know me."

"Yeah, but, the war is over and I'm feeling generous." The girl smiled. "I'm Aurora by the way. What's your name?"

"I'm Ta Min," the amber-eyed girl said, still dumbly staring at the jewelery in Aurora's hands.

Aurora laughed. "Are you going to take this necklace or am I going to have to force it on you?"

Ta Min gave a small, grateful smile, a genuine one this time, and took the necklace.

"So, do you get off soon? We could go get some tea! I hear this great place called the Jasmine Dragon just opened up!"

Ta Min blinked, again, in surprise. Something about this girl was different. Some tone to her voice or some way she looked like she could take on almost anything. She could quite place her finger on it.

"I get off in ten minutes. And tea sounds great, all this busyness gets me kind of stressed."

"Great! I'll just browse for a while then!" The girl turned away and froze as a large group of people walked by, all in red. Then, slowly, she spun around and walked to the back of the store to look at the clothes.

Ta Min wondered about the girl with the gold hair for the rest of her shift. Why had she frozen at the sight of people from the Fire Nation? Had something happened in her past that made her resent them?

The dark-haired girl was an understanding person. She knew what motivated the Fire Nation, what motivated the rest of the world, during the war. She knew that not all Fire Nation people were bad, just as not all others were good. She understood that much.

But she couldn't help but feel a little squirm of prejudice find it's way into her heart. What had these people done, maybe not these particular people but people like them, to make a person who seemed as good and kind as Aurora turn away?

_They were the ones who killed Yuan. _

Ta Min turned away from the crowd as well. She gently hung some fallen necklaces back on their small wooden stands and put her apron away.

She found Aurora. "You ready?"

The Water Tribe girl smiled and nodded. Ta Min lead her to the back exit, away from the group of Fire Nation people.

The two girls walked toward the Jasmine Dragon, tending to avoid crowds. Well, at least, Ta Min did. Aurora was always smiling and waving at anyone in blue or green, and to those in red, she just walked past them without a second glance.

Ta Min didn't smile or wave to anyone, red, blue, or green.

The two made it to the Jasmine Dragon, which was absolutely packed with people. Everyone wanted some of the best tea in Ba Sing Sei.

Aurora smiled and found an empty table for them, amongst all the madness. They sat down and waited for someone to take their order.

"So, what brings you to Ba Sing Sei?" Ta Min asked casually, looking over at the different flavors of tea the shop offered. "All this hustle and bustle over the Fire Lord?"

Aurora only shrugged. "I'm waiting for an old friend, actually. Though," she added, almost laughing a little, "I doubt he'll remember me. It's been so long..."

Ta Min nodded. "Were you separated because of the war?"

"I suppose you could say that," Aurora said, pursing her lips in thought.

Ta Min only nodded again. The thoughts of Yuan had only brought thoughts of the war.

"Why?" Aurora questioned, reading Ta Min's expression. "What brings you to Ba Sing Sei?"

"Well, I live here," she explained softly. "And, I came here because..." She had never really questioned her motives for coming here, after she had outgrown her years in the circus. But it was obvious now. "A friend of mine always wanted to take me here. It seemed like I should honor his wishes."

Aurora nodded sagely, not asking much more about this mysterious friend. "I know how you feel." She paused. "The war took a lot out of us. All of us. I mean, a century's a long time."

The other nodded, thinking about her efforts to stop it. And then her lack of interest, after Yuan's death.

"You lose someone too?" asked the golden-haired girl timidly.

"Yeah... My fiance," replied Ta Min quietly. "And my parents."

"I'm so sorry." Aurora thought for a moment. "Well, that's something we have in common. My parents were killed too."

Ta Min blinked. _This _was something she hadn't expected. Although, she probably should have. A lot of people had family members killed in the war.

That's how the girls got on to the topic of family, past, and the war. What they didn't know, was a man in the back was watching them.

"Did you know them?" Ta Min asked. "Your parents, I mean."

"No, not for very long. I was maybe five or six..."

Ta Min nodded in sympathy. "I don't remember mine at all... I was probably still an infant... Still, doesn't mean I miss them any less."

"Yeah."

There was a moment of silent, both girls lost in their memories.

"So you were separated from this friend of yours," Ta Min said.

"Yeah. He... He got more involved in the war than I would have liked."

"I see... Was he a soldier or something?"

Aurora hesitated. "Sort of."

"Ah."

"He was, actually, from the Fire Nation."

Ta Min choked on the tea that had been brought out to them and began coughing.

The man in the back was still watching them, especially the girl with the golden hair. The man, himself, had grey hair that had thinned out on the top and a pointed beard. His amber eyes had narrowed in suspicion as he watched the two girls conversed quietly. Then, he walked toward them.

"Are you two young ladies enjoying your tea?" the old man asked.

Aurora looked up and nearly dropped her cup full of jasmine tea.

"Yes, it's very good," replied Ta Min. Aurora nodded in agreement, looking into the dark liquid.

"I'm sorry, if you don't mind my asking, is your name Aurora?" the man asked with curiosity.

Ta Min looked at Aurora, who did not look up from her tea as she slowly nodded.

"I knew it! It has been years since I have seen you! You sure have grown up!"

"I didn't know you worked here, General Iroh," said Aurora quietly, still refusing to look up.

"Well, I should! This is my shop after all! Does Zuko know you are here?"

Now Ta Min's eyes widened as she interrupted.

"Wait. Zuko? As in, the new Fire Lord, Zuko? _That _Zuko?"

"Why yes! My nephew! Aurora and Zuko were very close when they were little kids! Does he know you're here?"

"No, he doesn't," Aurora replied shortly.

"Sorry, let me get this straight. _Zuko _was the one you were talking about all this time?"

Aurora nodded.

"Yes, they used to play together all the time! Ever since poor little Aurora's village was burned down when, I think... You were four, right?"

Again, she nodded.

"I'm sorry, again, I'm still confused here," Ta Min said, somewhat in shock.

It was at that moment that a sea of red came into the shop. Red and orange and yellow, all at once. Iroh beamed and walked toward the center of them.

"Out of my way! Out of my way! Uncle of the Fire Lord coming through!"

"Speak of the devil," said Aurora with acid dripping off her tongue. "Come on Min."

Aurora pushed her way out of the shop with Ta Min following closely behind as they made there way into the crowded street.

"Uncle, it's great to see you!" said Zuko as people began to grab tables around him.

"It is great to see you, too, my nephew!" said Iroh as he pulled up a chair at a nearby, empty table. Zuko sat down across from him. "You will not believe who I saw today! She's right over-" Iroh stopped as he looked over to the table of which the young girls had occupied earlier and scratched his head. Two cups of steaming tea were still sitting, mostly untouched. "That's odd. She was there just a moment ago, right before you came in."

"Who are you talking about, Uncle?" asked Zuko as he took a sip of the tea that had just been set before him.

"Aurora... She was sitting right over there," he said, gesturing to the table that had now been taken over by several people dressed in red.

Zuko quickly swallowed his tea.

"Aurora," he said, thinking. "The one I used to play with?"

"Yes, that's the one! And, if I remember correctly, you used to have quite the crush on her, didn't you Zuko?"

"Yeah, I did," he admitted absentmindedly, thinking back to a time where the war hardly affected him. A time where the sun and friends almost made you forget that the rest of the world was in turmoil. "You say she was here?"

"Yes, she was. And she was wearing that necklace you had made for her! The one with the little wooden charm at the end!"

_He had been working on it for the past week, trying to get the symbol just right. The Water Tribe symbol, as a little joke, since he was the only one that knew. Young Zuko blew on the piece of wood, getting all the spare shavings off._

"_Perfect!" he said excitedly as he hung the trinket on a long chain. "I've got to go get Rory right away!"_

_He ran down the many halls of the Fire Nation Palace, nearly running into his sister, Azula._

"_Watch where you're going! It's not like you'll get anywhere any faster!" she called out as Zuko ran down the hallway and out into a garden. _

_Aurora was sitting in a high branch of a tree, singing softly to herself as she twirled a flower between her fingers. It wasn't really a song, more like a poem put to music and strung together._

"_Aurora!"_

_The little girl stopped her singing and turned her head toward the voice that had called out her name. She beamed and stood up on the branch._

"_Hey Blaze!" she called out, not bothering to hang onto the main trunk of the tree._

"_I've got something for you!" he said as he ran toward the tree._

"_Really? I'll be right-" Her words were cut off as the branch she had been standing on broke. She screamed as she began to plummet towards the ground._

_Zuko dropped the necklace and ran straight for the tree, gaining speed as Aurora got closer to the ground. He swiftly got under her and caught her before she could hit the ground, falling down in the process._

"_Ow," said Aurora as she sat up and shook her hair out of her face. "Are you okay?"_

"_I'm fine," lied Zuko as he, too, sat up. "That was scary."_

"_Very." She tried to catch her breath and held her side. "Thanks for saving me."_

_Zuko turned red as Aurora hugged him gratefully. "Uh, yeah. Um, no problem." Then he remembered the necklace. "I made something for you!" _

_He stood up, walked over to the spot on the grass where he had released the chain, and walked back. Aurora gasped when he showed it to her and eagerly put it on._

"_Oh wow! Blaze, it's beautiful! Thank you so much! I'll never take it off!" This earned Zuko another hug. "I promise! Never ever!"_

"Did she really?" asked Zuko, coming back from his thoughts.

"Yes she was!" Iroh stirred his tea before saying his next words. "You know, your mother always like Aurora, too. She said she would rather have had her for a daughter than Azula. She was happy that you liked her."

"Well, _anyone _is better than Azula," Zuko pointed out.

"Yes, but she also like her best of of Mai and Ty Li also. She said she would have been a great Fire Lady. Of course, she only told me."

Zuko continued to look into his tea. His mother? Like Aurora best? This information had never been new to him but something about hearing that she thought Aurora would make a great Fire Lady made a little blood rise to Zuko's face.

Iroh continued to speak. "I never thought much of it back then, but now, I'm beginning to think she was right."

Zuko merely nodded once more. Aurora... He thought back to when he had found that note. He had been devastated. Azula teased him for weeks, but he had wanted nothing more than to be left alone.

Iroh let out a groan which made Zuko look up. "What are you still doing sitting here? You think I am reminding you of all this just to have some nice reminiscing? No! Why aren't you going after her?"

"I... I don't know. She probably doesn't even care anymore anyway. She's probably gone her own way and I've gone mine."

"Zuko," he sighed. "If she didn't care, why would she still have that necklace on?"

Zuko couldn't argue with that. Determined to find her, just to see her, he stood and left, leaving the dozens of Fire Nation royalty who had been following him baffled and wondering.

"Finally," Iroh muttered to himself. "That boy has always needed a lot of unnecessary convincing."

_AN: So, another quick ad for my other fanfic: Harry Potter/Percy Jackson crossover called Battle Scars. Come on, who doesn't love Harry Potter and Percy Jackson? It's centered around a witch named Echo… And the plot (which I've just now solidified) is gonna be amazing. Like, really amazing. If I do say so myself. _

_Well, yeah. There you have it. Now, look down… Further… Further… There! You see it? That little review button? Click it. Something amazing will happen. ;) _


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"Why didn't you tell me you knew the Fire Lord?" asked Min as Aurora dragged them into a small shop.

"Because, every time I try to tell someone, they either don't believe me or think that I'm some kind of traitor!" Aurora began to fiddle with the tip of her hair as she looked at some of the hair ornaments on the shelf.

The girls fell into an awkward silence before a handful of beaded dresses caught Aurora's eyes.

"How many dresses do you own?" she asked, in an attempt to change the subject.

"What?"

"I said, how many dresses do you own?"

"Well... None, I suppose, but is that really the point-"

Before Ta Min could finish her thought, Aurora had dragged them to the dresses.

This shop was much larger than the one Ta Min worked at- and also much more expensive. Each of the dresses, most colored in the Earth Kingdom's national colors of green and yellow, seemed hand-sewn and hand-beaded, making each one unique. They all glittered in the sun coming through the wide windows in the shop.

Aurora, though, wasn't interested in the earthy dresses. She, and by extension Ta Min, headed directly for the single rack of other colored dresses. Gold and red, blue and white, even yellow and orange. There were a few oddly colored ones in the mix, too- silver and black, brown and gold.

"You look like a Fire Nation woman- don't ask why, that's just the vibe I'm getting from you," Aurora said quickly, nimble fingers sorting through the dresses. "I don't care whether you are or aren't."

Ta Min wasn't shocked. At a distance, people would have thought she was from the Northern Water Tribe- she wasn't particularly slender, nor was she particularly tall like the women in the Fire Nation. She had once been told that her skin seemed paler than Tui herself, though that was something of an exaggeration. Her face had all the right, soft curves to be like any ordinary Water Tribe girl.

It was her eyes that gave her away, and her hair. Her amber eyes, the trait found only on the Fire Nation islands, and her straight black hair, unique to those who were born around the Capital.

The thoughts of her nationality brought her to question Aurora's. Though she was in no place to ask, she couldn't help but wonder what on earth a Water Tribe girl was doing with Fire Lord- Prince- Zuko.

"Here," Aurora said, holding up one of the heavy dresses. It was white fabric, studded with what looked like dozens of semi-translucent pink beads. They formed swirl patterns, exploding over the creamy fabric.

"That's beautiful," Min said. "But I don't really know if pink is your color."

"Not for me, silly, for _you._"

"Me?" Min asked as Aurora handed the dress to her and began to go through others. "But... why?"

"I saw a flyer outside saying there was going to be a ball, party thing at the palace tonight. I thought it would be fun," she said as she pulled out a sparkly silver and red dress and handed it to Min.

"Oh... I don't normally go to..." Aurora handed her another dress and started looking at other beaded accessories. "I mean, there's no way I'd be invited to... I won't be able to afford anything here."

"_You _can't. _I _can! My treat!" She pulled a golden tiara-ish thing off the shelf and tossed it to her. "Now, go try it on!" she said as she shoved Min into a changing room.

Reluctantly, Min put on the sparkly red and silver dress. When she emerged, Aurora gasped, then squealed with delight.

"I am getting that for you! Right now! Take it off so I can pay for it!"

"I don't feel right letting you pay for things, Aurora," she protested as the golden-haired girl shoved her back into the changing room. Ta Min quickly changed out and walked out to see Aurora paying for her own dress, teal with silver specks and with a tear-drop shape around her neck. It probably would have looked revealing on any other girl, but it was perfectly modest in general.

"Aurora, I don't think-" She was cut off as Aurora grabbed the dress from her and gave the cashier three gold pieces. The girl wrapped up the dresses and handed them back to the girl in a bag. Then, the golden-haired girl grabbed Min's arm and pulled her into the street again.

"Now we need to find hair accessories!" she chimed as she pulled the helpless girl into another shop.

Almost instantly, the girls were laughing and giggling as they tried on overly-large hats and putting on funny masks. Min had just tried on another large hat when Aurora froze and turned her head away from the door and went back to looking at masks. There was a tension about her that Min didn't know or understand.

"Aurora, are you okay?" Min looked around but didn't understand what had made Aurora tense up so much.

"Don't say my name," she said coldly. "Don't say it and he might go away."

"Who? Aurora, what are you talking about?"

A shadow cast over the decorative hair ornaments. Something about the figure was strong and held a presence of power.

"Aurora?" That voice. Neither Ta Min now Aurora had heard it in a long time. And neither were too happy about hearing it again.

Aurora bowed curtly, still facing the shelf. "Good day, Fire Lord."

Min turned to face the new fire Lord and took in his appearance. His hair was dark and pulled back and his eyes were a soft amber. One of them anyway. The other was scared and almost closed. He was pretty tall, especially against Aurora, who was quite petite. Well, that wasn't necessarily true. Her slender, Water Tribe form made her seem smaller then she actually was. His face, at the moment, was filled with curiosity as he stared at the back of Aurora's head.

"Fire Lord? Since when have we ever used formalities?" he laughed.

Her back straightened and she turned around, looking him straight in the eye. They looked so different, there, looking at each other. Aurora, with her clear blue eyes and hair like sunshine; while Zuko had the dark hair and dark eyes. While Aurora was slender and graceful, Zuko was muscular and radiated strength. They were complete opposites. The sun and the moon, the north and the south, day and night. Water and fire.

"Since you became Fire Lord," she said coldly. "Congratulations by the way."

Min remained silent during this conversation. This wasn't the Aurora she had seen earlier, sharing common memories and losses. She had gone from water, to ice.

Zuko raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay?" His face softened and he smiled. "How have you been? I haven't seen you in years."

"I've been fine on my own, thank you. Min and I were just doing some shopping." She held up the bag with the dresses in it for example. "So, we won't be taking up any more of your time."

Aurora tried to turn and walk away but Zuko grabbed her arm. She refused to look back at him as he spoke quietly near her ear. He didn't seem mad... Just confused.

"Rory, are you okay?"

She didn't move and didn't speak.

"Aurora?"

"I'm fine. Will you let go of me?"

"No, what's wrong?" Her turned her around so that she was looking back at him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, no thanks to you." She yanked her arm away from his grip and turned away from him. "Come on, Min."

Then the girls walked away from a stunned Zuko and into the street.

Soon, they were engulfed in a sea of colors. Sounds of bells, people going in and out of shops, music, and talking rang out everywhere. Once they were far enough from the shop, Min spoke.

"What was that about?" she asked, stopping Aurora in the middle of the street.

"It was nothing," she said as she tried to move forward. Min stopped her.

"It was the _opposite_ of nothing! What happened to you two? Earlier, you were talking about how much you wanted to see him!"

Aurora turned her eyes on Min. They looked like solid ice and Min winced at the coldness there, but watched as it slowly melted away. Aurora gave her a sad and tired smile.

"I always do," she said quietly. She seemed to age ten years before Min's very eyes. "I always seem to forget the jerk I left behind. He made me think I could rely on him." She fingered the strange necklace that hung low on the long chain. "But I can't..."

Suddenly, she brightened up and grabbed Min's arm.

"Enough doom and gloom! Let's go have some more fun!"

Then she dragged Min through the city.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Zuko took out his key and unlocked the door to the house he was staying at while in Ba Sing Sei. He rested his hand on the door's knob and sighed. Years... He hadn't seen her in _years. _What had he expected? Of course she wouldn't still be that little girl he used to spend every waking moment with. That girl who danced even though she was told not to. She wouldn't be that same girl who would sit next to him when he was sick in bed and told him stories or the girl who showed him the neat fire-bending _and _water-bending tricks.

He sighed again and leaned against the door. But she was so beautiful. Seeing her reminded him why he had fallen in love with her in the first place. He then closed his eyes, straightened up, and walked inside.

The house was very large, with decorations everywhere. Mai walked out of one of the various hallways and smiled at him.

She had long, dark hair that was hanging freely near her mid-back and was, too, from the Fire Nation. She had dark eyes as well and was about the same height as Zuko was.

"There you are! Where've you been?" She looked him over and frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said as he walked over to a chair and sat down.

"No you're not," she said as she walked over to him. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, Mai."

"Come on, tell me."

"Well," he hesitated. "I ran into Aurora today."

Mai's smile disappeared. "Oh."

"It was so... Awkward. She was all tense and kept calling me Fire Lord and being all formal. She seemed really mad, but I don't know what I did wrong!"

Mai's small smile returned as she walked a little way away from the chair. "Well, I never liked her anyway. She was so... strange. All she was was a little orphan girl that your mother took in as a charity case."

Zuko gritted his teeth but said nothing.

"She used to tell me the strangest little dream she had. Aurora said that if, for some reason, she had to leave, that _you _would go after her! Isn't that strange?"

"Very..."

Then it hit him, why she was so angry with him.

_I've been fine on my own, thank you._

_I'm fine, no thanks to you._

Everything fit together in his head at that moment. She actually had her reason to be mad. He hadn't gone after her.

"Well, are you going to get ready?"

Zuko looked up at Mai, still dizzy from what he had realized. "Hm? For what?"

"The ball! Are you sure you're okay? We can just stay here instead."

"No, we'll go. Just give me a few minutes to get ready."

Mai smiled once again and went to go get ready. Zuko followed soon after and prepared for the Emperor's Celebration Ball.

Aurora pulled Min through the crowded streets of Ba Sing Sei, weaving in and out of shops and people. One thing Min noticed was that Aurora was pulling her in the opposite direction of the shop where they had run into the Fire Lord.

"I still don't get why you got so mad at him."

"Because. Now come on!"

They had bought the dresses and where heading in the direction of the houses. Min didn't try to resist. For seeming so young and weak, Aurora was surprisingly strong. The two girls stopped in front of a house and Aurora reached into her small brown bag. She froze and pulled something out of the mail box.

"An invitation! To the ball I told you about! You said you were going, right?"

"No, I didn't."

Min looked curiously over Aurora's shoulder to see a flyer with bright colors, inviting the owner of the flyer to a ball.

"We should go!"

"Oh, I don't know..."

"We should! It would be fun!"

"I'm not even invited."

"Look! It says right here we can bring guests."

"I don't see it."

Aurora pointed to the flyer, and sure enough it was there. Ta Min was out of excuses.

"I don't-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Aurora had dragged her new friend into the house, holding the bag of dresses.

"Look, Aurora," Ta Min said, pulling out of Aurora's grip. "I appreciate everything you've done for me. Really, I do. But... There's just no need for you to keep... Showering me with gifts like this. I have money for myself, and a house... And I don't need to go to any kind of aristocratic party."

Aurora looked Ta Min straight in the eye. "I know you don't need any of these. That's the point of giving gifts. And trust me, I know you can take care of yourself and all that, but what I also know is that you don't seem to have many friends around here. And, well, I don't have many friends around here either." She paused. "If you don't want to go, that's fine. I was just reaching out, because I was trying to be nice."

Regardless of what she thought of that statement, it was pretty much impossible to ignore a face like the one Aurora was making. "I'll meet you here at sunset," she said softly, smiling and taking her own bag of dresses. "I'll give you time to get ready."

Aurora positively beamed. "All right! I'll see you here!" She then bounded back into her own house, as Ta Min began to walk back to the middle ring.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: **Oooh my. I screwed up.

I forgot to post Chapter 5, so the chapters after that have been all messed up.

I'm _so _sorry for that, I hope it won't happen again. Please go back and read chapter 5, and maybe chapter 6 will make a tiny bit more sense.

Thanks!

**Chapter Seven**

A little while later, Min was knocking on Aurora's door. It was sunset and the ball was about to start.

"Aurora?"

"Coming!"

Min looked down at herself and noticed how the red looked slightly golden in the setting sun. She still couldn't believe how long it had been since she had worn a dress like this. It was so sparkly and the shoes were really cute, even if they did hurt like heck. She adjusted the red flower in her dark curled hair.

Aurora opened the door and literally squeaked with excitement.

"I knew it! That dress is completely gorgeous on you! I am so happy you got it!"

"More like I tried it on and you instantly paid for it without my consent."

Ta Min couldn't help but notice how lovely Aurora looked. Her hair color perfectly complemented the teal color of the dress and the silver specks sparkled. The teardrop neckline wasn't even as low as Min thought it would be.

"You didn't curl your hair?" asked Min curiously.

Aurora tugged on a small piece of her straight hair that fell around her shoulders shyly. "Trust me when I say it doesn't curl. At all. It's too thick."

"Bet I could make it curl," said Min.

"I'll hold you to that," laughed Aurora. "But not tonight! We have a party to get to!"

The two girls walked quickly toward the heart of Ba Sing Sei, laughing and talking. Aurora was practically skipping with excitement.

"Don't your shoes hurt?" asked Min at one point.

"Nah, I'm used to it by now."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Years in the Palace can toughen a girl's feet."

Min giggled a bit as they reached a large crowd of people. One could pretty much tell who was from where by what they were wearing. Fire Nation citizens, all looking like wealthy supporters of the new Fire Lord, wore reds and golds and yellows. Very few were wearing the colors of the Water Tribes, all blues and whites. Unsurprisingly, most of the partygoers were from the Earth Kingdom, and they wore all sorts of colors- greens and purples and pinks.

"Well that's nice," Ta Min said, almost to herself. "They're not identifying themselves with one place or another..."

"A step toward peace," Aurora agreed, moving to stand in line.

They stood silently in line, looking at other people dressed in an array of colors.

Ta Min was still asking herself how she managed to get herself in such a position when they were let in to the expansive ballroom.

The enormous tiled room was already pretty much filled with people, as much as it could be while remaining comfortable. Many of the people didn't seem to be particularly _wealthy, _just wealthy enough to buy a fancy dress.

The two girls headed straight for the tables on the sides of the dance floor, which had various drinks and small dishes laid out on them.

Aurora glanced at the tiny appetizers. Between the dim lighting and the whole fancy table layout, neither of them could tell exactly what they were supposed to be. Aurora picked one up and popped it in her mouth.

"They're... okay."

Min laughed a little bit as a couple brushed past them on their way to the dance floor. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Either ask someone to dance, or wait for someone to ask you to dance."

"Hm."

They sat there for another moment before Ta Min picked up one of the pinkish drinks. "What do you think these are?"

"Dunno. Try it."

Min shrugged and sipped it. "Tastes good. Maybe some kind of juice or something."

"Who knows."

Ta Min took another sip when she noticed people rushing past them to get to the door. Important-looking people, civilians... Though some made a point of staying behind.

"Looks like the man of the hour has arrived," Min said, looking down into her drink.

"Oh, absolutely lovely."

More silence between them followed. There wasn't too much to talk about, and besides, they could hardly hear one another- between the live band and the endless talk from the general crowd.

Despite all the attention received at the door, once he and Mai were in the crowd, Zuko seemed not to gather too much attention. Which was entirely fine by him.

"Shall we dance?" he offered, holding out his hand.

Mai took it, though she made a face. "You know I don't like dancing."

"Just one."

"All right."

It started out slow, though the band eventually picked up pace to the point where Mai was trying to keep up.

"Where did you learn all this?" she asked, glancing between her feet and his arms in a vain attempt at matching him. She had never danced- she had never liked it, and it wasn't done in the Fire Nation anyway.

"Picked it up as I went along." He tried to spin her- it didn't work. "I'll have to teach you, before some other big event rolls along."

"Big event? One we'll have to _dance _at? Like what?"

"I'm thinking there'll be some dancing at our wedding, for example..." He smiled at her. His traitorous thoughts kept returning to his lost childhood friend, but he knew Mai didn't deserve that treatment. So he was bent on letting this be the best night ever, just he and Mai.

She grimaced. "Don't talk about that."

"What? It'll happen sooner or later."

"Why can't we just leave things the way they are? I like this."

The music had slowed, but the volume of the crowd was enough to mask their conversation.

"Well, we can't stay like this forever, and given the state of things I think the sooner the better."

"Why? What's wrong with what we have?"

"We've just come out of a century of war. That's a _long time. _The people need something... Happy." He pulled her slightly closer. "Like you and me."

She pushed him away. "I don't know. Sure, we'll be happy for a day or a month or whatever... And then what? You have a country to run. I don't want to run it."

"You won't. I will. We've talked about this befo-"

"Well even if _I _don't, _you _will. And you'll be so busy with this whole mess that there won't be time for _us..._"

"Well if you haven't noticed, I already have been busy. And there's still been time-"

"Not enough."

"Well, once things settle down..."

"You said it yourself. We've been at war for one hundred years. It'll take a long time for things to 'settle down.' And even if there's peace throughout the world and everything's all fine and dandy, you still have a country! Countries just don't go away."

Zuko frowned. "Well, we'll just work around it. We'll make things work out."

"This is about _her, _isn't it?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You know who I'm talking about." She let go of him, halting their dance, though not the movements of those around them. Some people seemed to be slightly alarmed at their rapid change of tone but decided it was none of their business.

Zuko didn't deny that he knew exactly who Mai was referring to. "You're being paranoid, Mai..."

"I'm not, and you know that." She scowled at him. "You haven't stopped thinking about her. I can tell. When are you going to think about _me _for a change? Not the Fire Nation, not the Earth Kingdom, not the avatar, not some girl you used to make mud pies with. _Me. _Your _girlfriend._"

"Mai..." he pleaded.

"No!" She was shouting now. Mai shouted so little that Zuko, and anyone within hearing range, _knew _it was serious. "I'm through with this! I'm through with _you! _Let me know when you decide to put a little time into the things that _matter!_"

"I'm doing my best, Mai!"

"Well it's _obviously _not good enough," she hissed. "I'm going home."

And he was alone, in a small circle of mostly silenced people.

He pushed his way through the crowd, which had quickly resumed talking at a volume slightly louder than normal.

He had half a mind to follow her, but eventually decided that she needed some time to cool off before he could approach her again.

"Oh dear," Aurora said.

"What?"

"She's got him mad."

"...So?"

"If there's one thing I learned, it was _never _get Zuko mad." There was a pause. "Ever."

"Hm."

They were silent as the crowd began to pick up again.

"You should ask him to dance." Min didn't know what made her say that.

"What? No..."

"Yes! This is your chance!" Min gave Aurora a playful push toward the crowd.

"No, I couldn't..."

"Go!"

"All right... All right..." She stumbled toward the crowd and was soon lost in a sea of people.

Min stood there for a moment, eyeing another little pink drink. However, the distinctive buzzing in the back of her skull told her that might not be the best idea.

She rubbed her forehead. Between the huge number of people, the loud band, the thick atmosphere...

"You look awfully lonely there."

She spun around to find she was face-to-face with a rather tall Water Tribe man.

"I'm fine. Thanks for your concern," she said shortly.

"You're welcome. The name's Hiryu, what's yours?"

"Ta Min."

"That's a lovely name."

"Thanks."

"Would you grace me with a dance?"

Her first instinct was to say no, which is why she was surprised when her lips said, "Why not?"

He took her hand and lead her to the dance floor.

As they began to move, in perfect sync, to the music that pulsed over the huge crowd of people, Min smiled. This moment was _perfect._

She wasn't really going to ask him to dance, she didn't want to. But if it got Min off her back, Aurora would stay hidden in the crowd for a while and just say she danced with him.

All the people seemed to close in on her, like a hoard of lion-bears preparing to pounce. Aurora wasn't sure why she felt so skittish. She had been to plenty of political get-togethers and was always fine with those. But now?

So many people seemed to be staring at her. She pushed her way farther into the crowd, aiming to get out on the other side. People dressed in reds, greens, yellows and every other color blocked her way. Everywhere she turned seemed to be blocked.

_I am _so _gonna kill you Min._

A few agonizing minutes later, she found the other side. She gasped for breath and turned to see the crowd was much larger then when Min and her had first arrived at the party. Carefully, she walked backwards until she bumped into someone. Instantly she turned around.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't see where I was going and-" That's when she saw who it was. "Oh. It's you. Never mind."

Fire Lord Zuko probably looked more shocked than she did.

"Never mind? Well that's rude," he said. It looked to Aurora like he was almost _teasing _her.

"I don't have to apologize to _you_." She turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm again.

"When did you get so uptight? I was _kidding. _A joke."

She spun around almost instantly. If one thing irritated her, it was being called uptight. "I am not uptight! What gives you the right to call me uptight?"

He was grasping at straws here with her. "I... I really missed you, Rory."

The blue-eyed girl involuntarily blushed. "Well, I didn't miss you! Not a bit! As a matter of fact, I didn't even think about you at all and-"

She hadn't noticed her voice rise until Zuko covered her mouth. "Please, don't shout."

"Sorry," she muttered from behind his hand.

"_I'm_ sorry." He removed his hand and she eyed him questioningly.

"For what?"

"For not... For being stupid. Do you... forgive me?"

There was a long pause.

"Maybe," she teased.

"Would a dance help?" He held out his hand and she took it. Then, he led her into the crowd.

"I heard you an Mai arguing earlier. Stupid of her to get you mad. She _does _know that, right?" asked Aurora once they had found a spot.

"I don't know. She just... gets like that sometimes."

"So... You two are together?" She hated the question. Hated what she knew answer would be.

"I guess. We just... disagree."

The song began to pick up. All in a blur, they began to work in sync, their feet moving forward and backward as one unit.

It was the same movement, but one was fire and one was water. They continued to dance like that, two parts of one being, Zuko fighting with fire and Aurora fighting with water.

Faster and faster, more energy went in to the dance and into the music, it was all winding up...

And the song abruptly ended. The two of them froze in place, breathing heavily.

Only now did Aurora notice the small crowd that had gathered around them. They apparently didn't notice or care that this wasn't the girl he had walked in with- they were cheering all the same.

A slightly slower song came on. A shared look brought them closer together, waltzing slightly, as the crowd dispersed back into their own dances.

Why was he with Mai? Aurora just couldn't understand it. This dance? This dance she understood. This feeling she understood. Though she couldn't name it, she could understand it. She could remember it.

It drove her nuts that she couldn't think of what the name was. As they danced, she tried to think of it. Aurora finally looked up to ask Zuko if he knew but froze. Why was he looking at her like that? She didn't stop dancing but felt like all time and space had come to a stop.

_What the heck is going on?_

Zuko didn't realize he was doing it. He had said he wouldn't think about Aurora, even if she was there. So how did he wind up dancing with her? How did he manage to look at her and forget everything? Forget his promise and forget Mai? And most importantly, why did he kiss her? Why, why, why?

He hadn't realized what he was doing until he had done it. Kissing her felt like waking up from a daze. Made him realize the damage he had done to his relationship with Mai. The funny things was, he didn't care. Zuko simply didn't care.

She was the first to pull away, though they remained within a few inches of each other.

"I shouldn't..." he began, but couldn't quite remember where that train of thought was going.

"Why shouldn't you?"

There was a pause as he tried to gather his scrambled thoughts. "A lot's changed, Aurora..."

She reached up to touch his scar, slowly, as if she was unsure. "I can tell," she whispered.

He moved away from her, almost as a reflex.

"But that doesn't _matter_," she continued. "You've changed. I've changed. But in the end, the things that matter are the same."

He laughed quietly. "That sounds like the sort of thing my uncle would say..."

She giggled and leaned against his chest. "I guess it does."

All in all, the moment could not have been more perfect.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: **Hey there! It's me! Not me as in HeyThereItsMe; me as in Marissa. We've been trying to write as much of Return of the Blue Flame as possible lately, but sorry if we take a while. We are only teenagers after all. I have a request for all of you readers out there! Please, please, _please _review and tell us what you think! We would like to know what we can do better, what you like about our story, and what might make the story more interesting! We love hearing your input, and it would seriously help us. You guys are the best!

**Chapter Eight**

Aurora and Ta Min left well after midnight. The moon was high in the sky and there wasn't a single cloud, giving them a perfect view of the thousands of stars.

"How'd your dance go?" Min asked.

Aurora blushed crimson, though in the dim light neither could see it. "It went... fine. Really well actually."

"Well that's good."

"I noticed _you _were dancing with a certain someone."

It was Min's turn to blush now. "Yeah..."

"What's his name?"

"Hiryu. From the Northern Water Tribe."

"Oh really?"

"Yes... Really."

"Well I'm glad you found someone."

"Mm. I'm glad you made amends with Zuko."

There was a pause. "Yeah. I am too." They were at Aurora's house by now. "Say, Min, it's a pretty long walk to your house. Big city streets aren't really good to walk alone this late. You're welcome to stay in the guest room, if you'd like."

"It's not that far... I'm sure I'll be-" The look Aurora gave her froze. Talk about puppy eyes. "I guess just for tonight."

The golden-haired girl squeaked with excitement and immediately pulled her inside, showing her around.

He knew the door being unlocked was a bad sign. Slowly and cautiously, Zuko went inside.

Stuff was everywhere. A chair flipped over here, a knife in the wall there. Typical angry Mai.

Just as he was considering making a spot to sleep on the couch, Mai walked out of the hallway, silent as a cat, and smiled at him. She had a bag in her hand, though Zuko couldn't see what was in it.

"You're home late. Have good time?"

She was being nice. Why was she being nice?

"Yes? What's with the bag?"

"Well, I thought since that ball was over we could go home. It _was _the only reason we came here. Right?"

"What do you mean go home? We just got here, Mai! Maybe we should stay a bit longer."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why? There's nothing else to do here." Mai glared at Zuko.

"This is the capital of the Earth Kingdom. There's plenty to do here."

"I've spent enough time in the Earth Kingdom for my liking. I want to go home."

She moved closer to Zuko, her face expressionless as usual but her voice quiet, low, almost pleading.

"I think we should make the best of the trip while we can," he said. "I'll buy us tickets home in the next few days."

"Why? What else is there to _do _here?"

"Um... I don't know. I could take you shopping." Mai glared. "Lots of... knives and things?" he amended.

"I can do that at home," she dismissed. "There's something else keeping you here. Some_one._"

Zuko was silent.

"Don't try to hide it from me. She was there, wasn't she?"

No reply.

Mai's voice didn't change from the low, quiet, pleading tone. "Don't try to hide it from me," she repeated. "Everyone was talking about it. You danced with her."

He looked away.

"You kissed her."

"Yeah? So what?" he snapped defensively. "It's not like _you _seemed to care where I was or what I did. You stormed out of there without looking back."

"I didn't expect you to _cheat on me, _Zuko! I leave _one _party and you throw yourself at every girl who comes your way!" This time Mai looked away. "I thought you were better than that."

"Mai, I am-"

"No."

"Please, Mai, it was a mistake-"

"No!"

"I didn't even know what I was doing, I just-"

"_No! _That's it! I'm through with this!" She had to pause to collect herself. "I'm through with _you._"

"Mai, come on, this is just one fight... We'll work things out."

"No. I thought we'd work things out. But it's pretty obvious we can't." She tossed her bag on the floor. Dresses and hair combs and little springs and things spilled out. "You have until... Until sunrise to get everything out. I don't want to see you again."

"Mai..."

"_Out!_"

Zuko had half a mind to remind her that this was technically _his _house, but after considering what Mai (literally) might have up her sleeves, he thought better of it.

He walked down the hallway and into their shared room. And quietly, in the middle of the night, packed up and left.

"This is fun, don't you think?"

Aurora was sitting on a stool as Ta Min brushed out her golden hair. The blue-eyed girl had just finished doing Min's hair and both girls were in their night dresses.

"I guess. And now I see what you meant when you said your hair wouldn't curl. It's thick!"

"Water Tribe hair. Got it from my mom."

"I see." There was a small pause. "Do you remember her?"

Aurora frowned slightly. "No. Not at all. No… When I think of my mom, Ursa's face appears."

"Ursa...?"

"Zuko's mom."

"I guessed as much." She paused to work the brush through a particularly difficult knot. "Well, I don't remember my mom either. I guess that's why we get along so well. Even if we _do _have totally different taste in guys." Min mentally kicked herself for how weird that last sentence sounded. But she thought they should talk about something... girly. After all, that's what girls did, right?

Aurora turned pink. "Really? 'Cause, I don't really have a taste for guys."

"Oh? I was thinking it would be the tall, dark, Fire Lord type," she teased. "You blush really easily, you know that?"

"Only lately. I usually have quite the poker face."

Min laughed. She could hardly believe Aurora could have _any _kind of poker face.

Aurora laughed, too. It seemed so long ago, the last time she had been serious. Besides when she saw Zuko.

"Wow. It's nearly impossible to get through all your hair."

"Now you know what I go through every morning!"

Min smiled and then tied Aurora's hair back. It had been a while since she had one-on-one time with another girl. It was... Relaxing.

The golden-haired girl got up and wrapped her blue silk robe around her.

"This is nice. When I was little, the only other girl who was nice to me was Ty Lee."

Min froze. "You knew Ty Lee?"

"For a while," she said as she tied the sash. "Her and Mai would come to the palace in order to hang out with Azula. Why?"

"I stayed with the circus for a while and met Ty Lee there. We traveled for a while before I left."

"Wow. It seems we _are _more alike then we thought!" Aurora beamed.

That's when someone knocked on the door.

Min and Aurora looked at each other before Aurora walked toward the door.

"Who would be here this late?" asked Min.

"Dunno."

Aurora opened the door to see Zuko standing there. Slight color rushed to his cheeks in the dim light.

"Um, hi. Am I intruding?"

"No, why?"

"Well, um... Mai kicked me out."

There was a pause. "Isn't it your house?"

"Yes!" he snapped before blushing again. "But, um, you know how Mai is."

"Lemme guess, you have no other houses in Ba Sing Sei?"

He lowered his head. "Unfortunately not."

"And you need a place to stay?"

"Yeah..."

Aurora sighed before grabbing his arm and pulling him inside. "Then get in here! Before you embarrass yourself. I can see tomorrow's headlines now: 'Fire Lord Gets Kicked out of Own House!'" She smirked and then closed the door.

"Who was it?" asked Min from the other room.

"The Fire Lord has graced us with his presence."

"Lovely."

"He got kicked out so he came here."

"Ah. That makes more sense."

"Hey, you're the reason I got kicked out," Zuko pointed out flatly. He immediately felt bad- it wasn't her fault.

Aurora hugged him. "I'm sorry, Blaze."

Zuko froze. Blaze... He hadn't heard that name in nearly six years. Hearing it again was... Nice.

"If you two start kissing, stay in there! I don't want to see!" called Min.

They both turned bright pink.

"We're not!" they said simultaneously, breaking apart.

Min laughed softly as she laid on her bed.

"Well... You can... Make yourself comfortable on the couch. I'll get you a pillow and a blanket." Aurora walked down the hall to a cupboard as Zuko looked around. She came back a few moments later carrying a green blanket and a spare pillow. "I hope it's warm enough for you."

"It should be fine." He smiled his thanks, but his eyes were drawn to what was hanging around her neck. His eyes widened. "You... You're wearing it..."

"What?" Aurora acted like she didn't know what he was talking about. When he didn't answer, she smiled at him and gave him a polite, "Good night."

As she turned away, she slipped the necklace back under her robe.

**AN: **HTIM here—just saying, there's a lonely little review button down there, who really wants some company. Maybe you should click it. :) We're looking for ideas, theories, praise and critique. Or none of the above. Just review! Thanks!

As a side note, I'm probably going to be out of town for the rest of the summer. So no guarantee on when the next chapter will be posted. We're trying our best to get 9 up by the end of the weekend.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: **Fluff. Pure shameless fluff. Three thousand words of it. Hope you enjoy.

Also, I'd like to advertise my newest story, Through Their Eyes. It's a series of oneshots from the POV of different minor characters (and possibly some OCs, maybe ones introduced here, maybe not). So yeah. :) Enjoy.

**Chapter Nine**

Unusually for her, Min woke up with the sun high in the sky, in a house that she couldn't recognize immediately.  
She sat up, the events of the previous night came back slowly. She struggled to separate one from the other, then decided it didn't matter too much.

Her head had a low throbbing to it, that was either due to lack of sleep or, more likely the drinks she had had last night.

She was trying to remember something... She had something to do.

_Work? _She thought for a moment, then remembered she had the graveyard shift that day. No work.

Her mind shifted around the fuzzy memories until she recalled.

_Hiryu!_

She had told him she'd meet him at the Jasmine Dragon that afternoon. Though she had very little time to settle down, he seemed nice enough and she'd like to see him by daylight.

She got up and looked down at herself. She was wearing one of Aurora's blue robes. It was about three inches too short.

Silently, in case Aurora was still sleeping, she opened the door and headed toward where she hoped the kitchen was.

She crossed through the living room, almost overlooking the fact that Fire Lord Zuko was asleep on the couch.

Ta Min hadn't had very many encounters with the new ruler of the Fire Nation. She'd seen his face in paintings and posters- people had latched on to both him and the avatar as symbols of hope and peace and whatnot. But, as far as she could recall, she had never seen him in person.

She had expected him to be taller.

And... more serious-looking, like he was in pictures. Though, him being asleep and all, she supposed she couldn't expect much from him.

Feeling a little bit embarrassed, she crept through the room and into the kitchen.

After a little bit of stumbling about in the unfamiliar area, she started on a pot of tea.

"So how long have you been here?"

Min took her tea and smiled at the young worker. "A few years, maybe. I just fell in love with the city."

He nodded in agreement. "It's pretty easy to fall in love with."

"Yeah," she said, smiling into her tea. "So what are you doing here? You said you were from the Water Tribe?"

"Just visiting. I heard the Fire Lord was in town, and about half of the Northern Tribe was leaving for here anyway, so I just left. I've always wanted to see the world."

Ta Min liked the way Hiryu looked then. He was tall and somewhat bulky, but at that moment he seemed like a little boy, talking about his dreams. It made him look, for lack of a better world, cute.

"Well, this isn't the only city to see in the Earth Kingdom. I've heard Omashu is something to see, with all the renovations."

He nodded. "Have you ever been there?"

"Not recently. It... It wasn't exactly pretty when I went. I mean, it was nice and clean and all, but..." She shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean."

There was a space of silence, during which Min blushed. "I'm sorry. It's just been a long time since I've been out with people, you know?" She stirred her tea aimlessly, without anything to stir into it.

He shrugged, still smiling. "I don't know about you, but I'm having a good time."

She smiled a little, still nervously stirring her tea. "Me too." She paused for a moment and eventually set the cup on the table. "I just feel like... we should be talking. Isn't that what people do on... dates?" Min felt like her cheeks were on fire.

"I don't know. Is it?" There was a pause, but Ta Min couldn't tell what kind of face he was making, as she had suddenly taken a great interest in the table. Very gently, he reached over to her and tipped her chin up so she was looking at him. "Well what do you want to talk about?"

"Oh, I don't know... I guess... You said you were from the Water Tribe. I've never been there. What's it like?"

"Cold," he answered without hesitating, causing Min to break out into giggles. The laughter lifted some of the tension. "Cold and wet," he added, laughing a bit himself.

"Is that it then? I've heard so many great things about it."

"Actually, it really is a nice place. There's whole buildings made of ice, and when the sun hits them just right you can see the whole city just light up. I used to watch the sunrises as a kid, not the sun itself but it's reflection in the snow."

Min's eyes lit up as she imagined. "Wow..."

He continued to describe it to her, trying to paint a picture in her mind of what it was like. He did it partly for himself- he had been away from home for a long time, now, and to have a second to remember was a nice change. Mostly, however, he did it for Min- the way she looked as he spoke was priceless. Beautiful. She wasn't nervous or tired or anything- she was enthralled, guard down. This was the girl he had danced with last night.

He finished when he felt he had said all that there was to say. "And now," he added, "it's your turn."

"Oh." She went back to blushing a little. "My turn for... uh, what?"

"Where are you from?"

There was a pause, and then Min, deciding she had nothing to hide, said very stiffly, "The Fire Nation."

"_No, _I wouldn't have guessed."

"And if you're going to insult me or any- wait, what?" She paused. "You...knew? Know?"

"The eyes are a tip-off," he said with a smirk.

"Oh. Yes." She was blushing again.

"So what's it like? The Fire Nation, I mean."

"It's... nice. It's different, than here... Much more..." She tried to find the word. "Much more... Well, there's a lot more city. It's almost all city, now, except for a few vacation spots and things." There was a pause, and Min noticed that Hiryu wasn't going to say anything. "But... It can be nice. In the springtime, the cherry blossoms are everywhere, and it's like the place changes overnight... Just one moment, all paved and built, and the next it's full of life and springtime..."

"I'll make you a deal," he said. "You take me to the Fire Nation someday, and I'll show you around the Northern Water Tribe."

"Oh..." Min thought. She thought about everything. She thought about her job, about the city, about Aurora, about her dreams, about everything. "That would be really nice," she decided. "I'd like that a lot."

Aurora walked through the market, grabbing fruit, vegetables, and meat. She had been running low on groceries for a while. She was quite grateful that most places nowadays accepted Water Tribe money.

Once she was done, she went home and expertly pulled out her key with one hand (which was fairly difficult considering she had three paper bags in her arms). Finally, she managed to unlock the front door and open it.

Zuko was still asleep on the couch, even though by now it was around noon. The golden-haired girl smiled and walked into the kitchen. Immediately, she saw the tea that was still sitting out from when Min had made some earlier this morning. Aurora rolled her eyes and washed it out before putting the groceries away and starting to cook. Some time later, Zuko walked in, still wearing his clothes from the night before.

"What time is it?" he asked in a tired voice.

"Lunchtime," she said shortly. "Are you hungry?"

There was food _everywhere, _he noticed. It was hard not to be. "What? Oh, yeah."

"It should be ready in another few minutes or so."

He nodded and went back to the couch. The Fire Lord couldn't exactly remember where he was or what had happened the night before.

_Mai kicked you out, remember? _

Right... Now he was at Aurora's house and she was making lunch. Zuko froze. Aurora's house? He blinked and looked back into the kitchen where the girl stood at the sink with her gold hair tied back away from her face. He could hear her humming quietly to herself as she rinsed something off. Mai was furious with him.

But now he was with Aurora... He couldn't decide what exactly to feel.

He watched her light a small fire in the stove with a pair of spark rocks.

"If you're just going to stare and linger in the doorway, you could help me with dessert," she said without looking at him.

"How do you do that?" She couldn't see him... Right? It made the Fire Lord wonder if women truly did have eyes in the back of their heads.

"It's a girl thing." _I knew it. _"Actually, if I remember correctly, maybe having you cook isn't the best idea."

She laughed as she went back to the counter. Zuko walked up behind her and eyed something next to him. A bowl of icing. He smirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"The last time you were in a kitchen, I had to waterbend to put that fire out." She was stirring something that smelled delicious in a bowl.

"It wasn't _that _bad!" He grabbed the bowl and dipped his hand in, covering it with white fluffy sugar. "Hey, what's this?"

She fell for it. Aurora turned around. "What's wha-?"

Her face was suddenly covered in icing. She gasped and brushed the white substance from her eyes as Zuko laughed out loud.

"Oh, never mind. It's icing, right?"

"Yes, it is."

He suddenly froze. "And you're going to get back at me, aren't you?

"Yup." A sweet dressing was suddenly poured on top of his head. It dripped down his face and onto his shoulders as the Avatar giggled like a little girl. The Fire Lord brushed some of the sauce off his face and glared at her.

"You do realize this means war."

"A war means both parties stand a chance of winning," she shot with a smirk.

"So true."

He reached behind him and grabbed the bowl of salad. Before he could dunk it on her though, a pie flew into his face. A pie of all things. He took a finger and tried some.

"Really? A pie? You made a pie?"

The girl shrugged, another pie in hand.

"And where did you get all the food?"

"Bought it."

"All this food for one person?"

"No. You're here and Ta Min is coming later."

"That makes-"

Another pie in the face. He brushed off his eyes.

"So you're going to play that way, huh?"

She nodded. They both stood there for a second. Suddenly, food was flying everywhere. Tomatoes, cabbages, all kinds of food. Finally, Zuko grabbed Aurora and dunked he rest of the icing on her head, followed a cake to the face. The girl screamed as Zuko laughed.

"You seriously made a cake? Rory, you always over-do things."

The dark-haired boy didn't realize he had his arms around the girl's waist, holding her still as she kicked, thrashed, and screamed.

"Let me go!" she laughed.

"Not until you surrender," he said, tightening his grip.

"Never!"

"Suit yourself." He grabbed some lettuce and began to put it in her hair, one leaf at a time.

"Knock it off!" she giggled. "You jerk!"

"I won't stop until you give in."

"Fine! Fine! I give up! Stop it!"

He finally let go and Aurora spun around, as she smacked him in a teasing manner.

"You win," she admitted in defeat.

"You know," he said leaning towards her, "you have something on your face."

"I know, you put it there!"

Zuko wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, without warning. Aurora was so shocked that she froze for a moment. Her brain exploded with a million thoughts at once. What was he doing? Wasn't he with Mai? She hadn't thought about it the night before. But now...

The golden-haired girl pulled away quickly, turning away.

"You shouldn't do that. You're with Mai right now."

The Fire Lord blinked. "I'm..."

"Look," she said, turning back to him. "You and Mai are going through a rough patch right now. I'm hardly helping matters. But you know, and I know, that the two of you will get through it." There was a pause. "You should go talk to her. Apologise. Give her flowers or something. Girls like that."

He looked down at himself, disheveled and now covered in food. "Not Mai," he said, with an almost-smile. "But... You're right... That was out of line. I'm sorry."

Aurora nodded. "Now go change, and go home and make amends. Go. Now." She gave him a little shove. "And if she's not cooled off enough, yet, you're still welcome here," she added.

"All right."

Aurora gave him a little encouraging smile, and he walked out of the kitchen, grabbing his overnight bag.

Once he was gone, Aurora took a moment to assess the damage.

There was _nothing _left. Nothing that she would have served, anyway. The girl sighed as she walked to the sink. That boy was always giving her trouble, even when they were kids. Aurora was always the one who cleaned up the mess.

She grabbed a rag and began to wipe up the mess, calculating in her head what she would need to buy, how much it would cost, and how long it would take to remake everything.

In short: it would be a _long _time.

Aurora rinsed off her now white hair and her face. Food was just everywhere! She looked up to find some melon on the ceiling and sighed once again.

She could hear Zuko coming out. She gave him another smile she hoped was encouraging.

He smiled back and walked toward the door.

Ta Min was on the other side, looking as if she were about to knock.

"I'm sorry... Am I interrupting something?" She glanced at the icing still stuck on his arm.

"No," he said, shortly but not impolitely, and brushed past her.

She stuck her head in the door. "Aurora? Can I come in?"

"Yes! But I'd avoid coming in the kitchen if I were you," she called out.

"All right..." Min came in and walked down the hall into the spare room. She had left her dress there. "What's going on in the kitchen? Do you need help?"

"I'm warning you now, just don't do it."

"Well now you've made me curious," she said, smiling. "But I'll take your word for it." She headed back out towards the door. "I'll see you tonight."

"Alright!"

Min smiled and slipped out.

Aurora smiled as she wiped off the counters. It reminded her of a long time ago when they had a food fight similar to this one and Ursa had walked in. It must have been a sight to behold because the woman had laughed as she cleaned them off. Zuko had started that one too.

_Zuko..._

She mentally smacked herself.

_Knock it off! He's with Mai, not you! And he'll probably _never _be with you! He is the Fire Lord after all. And what are you? A stupid little village girl who let her hopes get the best of her. You're being pathetic._

_Am not!_

Wait... Was she seriously arguing with herself? This time, she physically smacked herself. All these years she had hated him, but now? Was she actually... Flirting with him?

_No... I wasn't._

_Have you looked in a mirror? Yes, you were. And you know it!_

Stupid voice... But...

_I'm right, you're wrong. Admit it! You didn't hate him these past six years. You're mixing up hate with some other kind of emotion. What about that time those thugs you were with wanted to kill him? Hm? You remember that? If you hated him, you would have let them carry out their plans and do it. But what did you do instead?_

Aurora shuddered at the thought. That time was a mistake. She shouldn't have done what she did.

_And if you hated him, you would have thrown that necklace into the ocean like you had planned. But did you?_

_No..._

_Of course you didn't! But you already know what you're feeling, right? You just don't want to admit it because it's wrong. Trust me, I'm you. I know what you think and what you feel. I know _everything. _I felt your heart shatter as he walked out that door. And I remember the nightmares from when you took that kamujin leaf juice._

_Why call it the proper name? It was poison._

_Was not._

_Was too! That's what I call it! Besides, that was nearly three years ago. It has nothing to do with what's happening now._

_Whatever! The thing is, you love him. And you know it._

Aurora collapsed onto her knees and just that there. She couldn't argue with that voice in her head anymore.

_Yeah... I do..._


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: **Hope you enjoy. Reviews are always welcome.  
We're working on chapter eleven as I post it. Maybe you'll get two chapters in one day? :D

**Chapter Ten**

Zuko walked slowly, trying to keep his head down. What he had done _was _wrong. He belonged to Mai.

He _liked _Mai. She was everything he wanted. She could defend herself and stand on her own. He liked that. She was quiet and didn't ask too many questions. He liked that.

And she was a good kisser. He liked that too.

He came up on the house, and he could immediately tell something was wrong.

It was dark inside. There wasn't too much out- not that there was before, as they had only been there for a few days, but the house didn't look like it had been stayed in.

"Mai?" he called out. No answer.

He looked around in their bedroom. The bed was neatly made, there were no clothes in the dressers, nothing.

He made his way to the kitchen. It was entirely empty, except for a knife and a note.

He recognized the knife as one of Mai's least favorites. She had always complained about it.

Not that she didn't complain about other things.

It was stuck into the table, pinning down a small piece of paper. That was never a good sign.

The note didn't have anything on it except an address, written in Mai's small handwriting.

Zuko frowned. He messed up. _Badly. _The Fire Lord proceeded to look around the empty house, opening drawers and cabinets, trying to find something, anything. Still nothing.

He sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. It wasn't like she didn't have her reason. Still...

The boy sat down in a chair and looked out the window. It was his fault, no doubt about it. His fault. Or Aurora's... The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to blame her.

_Stop blaming her for everything! It's not her fault you cheated on Mai._

Right. It was Zuko's decision to kiss her and his decision alone. Aurora even called him on it, which only made it worse.

If he had thought life was complicated during the war, he was sadly mistaken. Life would always be complicated. Always. Again, the Fire Lord sighed. Running a country was difficult. Girls, on the other hand, were on a whole different level.

Mai was probably halfway to the Fire Nation at this point, and Zuko had pretty much no way of contacting her. He could send a messenger hawk... But the last time he left her a note, Zuko had wound up becoming a prisoner at the Boiling Rock. Probably not the best idea to try to apologize through a letter...

He sat down and held his head in his hands.

Somewhere, on a small island in the Fire Nation, several very broken people lived. Though, they didn't actually _live; _they were imprisoned, for their own goods.

And on that island, in that prison, sat a very angry firebender.

There was one problem with this institute, she mused. It has the potential to heal people, if only they want to be healed. It can change people's fundamental nature, but only if they wanted to be changed.

She had pushed everything back. One thing, and one thing only, kept her alive. Kept her thinking. It was rage.

She hated him. He had taken everything from her: her mother, her father, her friends, her crown, and now her dignity.

The very thought not only filled her with rage, but it also gave her the strength to go on. She _would _be avenged.

He had taken everything that mattered from her.

And she'd be _damned _if she didn't do the same to him.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Business was slow. That was no surprise, really. It was probably well after midnight. Everybody was asleep.

Except Ta Min. She very much wished she was asleep, but she was getting paid extra to work so late. She needed the money.

There wasn't much to do except sit and wait for her shift to end. She had organized and reorganized everything she could, eyed all the dresses and rated them in terms of how nice they looked, done everything there was to do.

There was a small ringing as somebody entered the shop. She didn't bother to look up- the people who came by this late were usually weird. The last sort of people she wanted to deal with.

"Wow. This place is boring after dark."

Now Ta Min looked up to see Aurora looking around.

"What are you doing here? It's probably after midnight. Shouldn't you be asleep?"

The golden-haired girl laughed. "Nah, I like the moon."

"I see." That girl truly was a strange one. "But what _are _you doing here?"

Aurora shrugged. "I dunno. I was just walking around and came in here. Not to mention- Oh! Shiny!"

She ran over to a shelf that held tiaras and hair ornaments, picking up a silver headband and trying it on.

"I get the strange feeling that you're following me," Min said.

Aurora didn't seem to be listening. "How does this look?" She spun around and showed off a small hair clip, beaded to look like some sort of flower.

"It looks nice, Aurora. It goes well with your hair color."

She beamed. "I've always loved Fire Lilies. They're so pretty, don't you think?"

Min agreed, coming to the conclusion that the clip was meant to mimic the Fire Lily.

"I think I'll get it," Aurora added, digging out her purse. "Fire Lilies are my favorite after all. Plus red is such a pretty color!"

Min rolled her eyes as she took the Water Tribe money. "Want me to wrap that?"

"Nope, I'll just wear it." The Water Tribe girl skipped, literally, over to a mirror and began to fix her hair. "It's been so long since I've seen a real Fire Lily..."

"Why haven't you seen one?" Ta Min wondered at how a girl who knew the Fire Lord could not have seen a Fire Lily in that long. Didn't she grow up in the Fire Nation?

Aurora hesitated. "The Fire Nation and I haven't exactly been on the best of terms for the past few years."

"Ah. I understand that."

"I miss it," she said wistfully. "It was always so pretty. The way the sun rose on the beach, the way the cherry blossoms would always bloom in the springtime..."

"Hm." Min thought back to her admittedly limited experience in the Fire Nation. "I suppose."

"You've been there?"

"I've been a lot of places."

"Well I guess that's another thing we have in common, huh?"

"I suppose so."

"You don't seem very eager to talk. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Aurora, I'm just tired."

"Ah."

"Listen," Min said, "how about this. Nobody's coming by the shop tonight, and that includes my boss. So why don't I just close up early and we can both get some well-needed sleep."

Aurora smiled. "Sounds good to me!" she chirped.

Min quietly turned off each of the lamps and locked up the display cases. Then she and Aurora quietly stepped into the dark streets of Ba Sing Sei.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: **Sorry for the dozens of mood whiplashes within this chapter, but hopefully it sheds some light onto characterizations and motivations and all the -ations.

**Chapter Eleven**

It was nice to walk down the streets in the moonlight. Everyone was asleep and it was completely dark. The silence was soothing. She could only hear the sound of her feet on the pavement. Soon, that pavement turned to dirt. The city, to fields. That's when it started to rain.  
Aurora tilted her head up to feel the sweet raindrops fall on her and closed her eyes. The rain was warm, almost like bathwater. But when she opened her eyes, she gasped as she realized it wasn't rain. It was fire. It was literally raining fire.  
She spun around to see the great city of Ba Sing Sei was no longer behind her. Instead, was a village. She ran to see Firebenders burning houses, killing people. Aurora couldn't stand the sight any longer so she closed her eyes. That's when she heard the laugh.  
"Scared are we, little Aurora?"  
The golden-haired girl opened her eyes to see she was in a dark forest. No rain... No light... She spun around to see she was face to face with _her_.  
"I'm sorry, did I frighten you?"  
Slowly, Aurora backed away. "You're in prison! You can't possibly be here!"  
Azula stepped forward as Aurora stepped back. Aurora could see now that she was shifting between her ten-year-old form and the older-looking picture she recognized from posters and newspapers. "Is it truly impossible? Maybe I am here. Maybe I'm not. Maybe you're right. Or maybe you truly are going insane like you thought."  
Her smile was deadly and menacing. She lit her fingers with blue fire and held it up, watching it dance.  
"I'm not crazy! I know you're in jail and this is some kind of sick dream!" She was becoming desperate. She tried to firebend but nothing happened.  
"Did I mention that I have all the power here?" the imprisoned princess asked.  
Aurora turned to run but found herself in the middle of a wedding. _This dream is becoming stranger and stranger, _she thought.  
She froze as she saw Zuko standing at the alter. When she turned, Mai was walking down the isle.  
"Doesn't she look pretty?"  
She turned to find Azula leaning against a column, smirking.  
"Now you're just messing with me..."  
"No, actually." She straightened and walked towards Aurora. "This is part of your actual nightmare. You're afraid that you'll lose your beloved Zuzu forever. Aren't you?"  
"_Shut up!" _  
She shut her eyes one more time. When she opened them, it was someplace she did _not _want to be. She was surrounded by bodies, dead bodies. There were ice shards piercing and holding them against the trees around her. Aurora backed up into someone.

"You did this, didn't you? They said they were going to kill him. But you got to them first," Azula's cold voice whispered in her ear. "This is your true fear, isn't it? You're afraid of becoming like me."

"I-I didn't mean to... They... They were going to..."

"Yes, yes, I know. But they didn't. And now? Now they're dead. Isn't it great? Over ten people killed to save one?"

Aurora spun around. "I know what you're trying to do! You're trying to make me think I'm evil! I'm not evil!" she screamed.

"Don't worry. You don't have to be. Because I'm going to tell you something." She smirked and lit another blue flame. "I'll return. I'll return, and you know it."

Aurora screamed as her world was engulfed in blue fire.

She woke up screaming but stopped as soon as she realized it was a dream. She was shaking all over as she sat up. _She's a liar, _she thought to herself. _She's a liar and don't believe a word she says. You're nothing like her..._

Aurora rolled over and shut her eyes, far from convinced.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO 

It was very quiet. The whole city had gone to bed, leaving only a quietly falling snow and the soft crunch of footsteps.

Min sat on the steps and waited. She didn't quite know what she was waiting for, but she knew she was waiting for something.

She looked out at the city. It was gorgeous. The Northern Water Tribe. Just as she had imagined, earlier that day, and now she was here...

Slowly but surely, the lights in the houses went out, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

A figure approached her, though it was hard to tell in the darkness who exactly it was.

Oddly, for the cold weather, he was wearing normal Fire Nation clothing, though there was a sense about him that suggested he was a soldier.

"Will three silver pieces get me the night, darling?" he asked when he was close enough.

Min didn't quite know what he was asking. She rose to face him. "I don't-"

He grabbed her by the arm. "You need the money, sweet stuff, and it's only one night."

"Let go of me-"

"Only once," he repeated. "I'll up it to four. Such a pretty face as yours-"

She tugged away and fell backwards.

She found herself standing on one hand, holding both of her swords in the other. It was hot, despite the still-falling snow, and stuffy, though they were outdoors.

Except now they weren't. The Fire Nation man was still standing there. She couldn't see his face clearly, or if she could, she couldn't remember it. He was holding a whip.

"More, girl!" he shouted at her. "I've got a crowd to please! Give me more!"

"I'm trying!" she begged, panting, sweat streaming down her face. "This is all I can do!"

Somebody spat fire at her, and she tried to deflect it with a sword. She almost got it, except a small amount, which managed to catch her hair on fire.

She screamed and almost lost her balance as the fire rapidly spread from her hair to her shirt, but somebody tossed water on her just in time.

"Dammit, girl, I took you in and I can kick you out just as fast! I got some little bastard promising a crowd for a dual-bender! And I'm _not _about to _displease the crowd_!" He emphasized the last few words, cracking his whip again.

"I'm not a firebender! Or a waterbender! I'm not! Please!" she sobbed, but the whip only cracked above her head again.

"You'd better learn, girl, because if you don't I'll leave you on the streets of whatever plague-ridden slum we see next!"

_Crack, crack._

_Crackle, crackle. _

She was still doing her handstand, but she had somehow left the tent in favor of a small campfire.

She quietly sat and somebody passed her a bowl of rice. She ate it hungrily, though no matter how much she ate, she was never really satisfied.

It took her a minute to identify the faces around the campfire.

Aurora was there, and on either side of her were Hiryu, in his Water Tribe clothes, and Yuan. This Yuan was much different than the one she'd known- he was taller, more bulky. Older.

"Come on my dear," he invited. His voice was smooth and everything she had imagined. "Sit by me. You seem frightened."

"Min?" Hiryu asked. "I thought you said you'd give me a chance."

Aurora was twirling her hair idly. "Choices choices," she said. Her voice was dark and thick with some sort of malice.

"Min," Yuan said, "think about it. My necklace. _Your _necklace. You still wear it. You still love me. You think about me every day..."

"Min!" Hiryu said, exasperated. "I thought we had something. We danced. I took you out on a date. We made plans. I know it's early, but you've gotta just give me a chance."

Min looked between them, faced with a choice she never wanted to make.

She eventually turned to Aurora for some sort of advice. But the golden-haired girl simply sighed. "I suppose I _could _help you. But why? Why on _earth _would I help you?"

Min blinked. She supposed she should be crying now. But she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Aurora went on. "We're not so different, you and I. We've both been hurt. We've both been teased, by others, because of our parents. But look at me- I've got ties with the Fire Lord. I can buy what I'd like on a whim. And look at yourself. Some little circus freak without a copper to her name. Living on scraps at the bottom of the barrel. Think about it, Ta Min. What's so different about us?"

Min backed up, but Aurora stood and, by some inexplicable means, firebended a ring around them. "I have everything you want," she drawled, taking steps closer to Min. "Why is that? Why is it that two little Fire Nation refugees, all alone in the world, why is it that we're so similar and yet so different? Why is it that you're working a minimum wage job and I'm rich? That you don't have time for love and I'm _screwing the Fire Lord!_"

Min continued to take steps back, until she was so close to the ring of fire that her hair and shirt caught.

She was jolted awake, forgetting parts of the dream even as her eyelids moved.

Quietly, she got up and decided some tea would be nice right about now.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

He walked down the crowded streets of Ba Sing Sei, shopping. Zuko was surprised to see so many people out so late at night. People were calling out, trying to sell their products to passers-by. The streets were lit with lanterns and lights all around, almost as if a fair was going on. He found himself looking around and making a list of things for Mai in his head.

_So... A new knife, extra sharp. Some fruit tarts. Strike that, a _lot _of fruit tarts. And..._

"Fire Lilies! Get your Fire Lilies here!"

_Fire Lilies. Wait, what?_

Zuko broke from his train of thought and looked toward the man who was shouting. He had a large cart filled with beautiful red flowers that seemed to be on fire in the light of his lantern.

_Those are Aurora's favorite, _his inner-voice reminded him.

"You'll have to choose sooner or later."

The Fire Lord turned to see Aang sitting nearby, at a table. The dark-haired boy joined the young monk.

"Aang? What are you doing in Ba Sing Sei?"

"Ba Sing Sei? Is that where I am? Huh. I was wondering about that. It is your dream after all."

The Fire Lord blinked. "Dream?"

"Well no _duh_! How else do you think I'm here? I'm supposed to be currently restoring the Air Temples!"

Zuko groaned. "So now you can go into other people's dreams?"

The young boy laughed. "Of course not! I'm a figment of your imagination! Be thankful, your subconscious _could _have made me Sokka."

"Okay, so, why are you here?"

"I dunno, you tell me."

"Well," he said, thinking. "I guess it might be to help me with my..." Oh boy. He knew this would sound pathetic. But, he had to say it. "Girl problems?"

Aang froze mid-stretch. "Oh. Um... Okay. So... What do you need my help with? Aren't you with Mai?"

"I'm supposed to be, but... This girl I liked when I was little showed up. Now Mai's mad even though I didn't do anything wrong! It was Auro-"

_Now don't you start blaming her again!_

"I mean... It was my fault. But she won't let me explain! She's being stubborn."

"I see," said the young Avatar, stroking an invisible beard. "I think what you need is a therapist!"

Suddenly, Sokka appeared next to Aang, wearing his fake beard.

Zuko hung his head in his hands. "Get him out of here."

Aang blew on the picture of Sokka and it blew away. "Okay, no therapist. Let's see what I can do... Who did you like first?"

"That's easy, Aurora. But I've known Mai longer."

"I see... Then, who do you like right now?"

"Uh... Mai?"

"You don't sound very sure."

"I'm not."

"Then... Who makes you happier?"

"I don't know!"

Aang sighed. "This might take a while. Who do you know more about?"

Zuko thought about it for a minute. "I guess I don't know anymore."

Aang groaned. "You're hopeless! If you can't find a single thing that you can answer surely, you're doomed! For crying out loud! You are going to drive me nuts!"

"Aren't you supposed to be helping me?"

"I'm trying!" he whined. "This isn't easy!"

"Just ask more questions!"

"Gah! Fine! Who makes you laugh more? Just pick the first one that pops into your head! don't even think about it!"

"Aurora."

"Good! Now... Who trusts you more?"

"Aurora."

"Who has stood by you longer?"

Zuko, without thinking, answered. "Aurora."

"Now we're getting somewhere! Who did you kiss first?"

"Mai."

"Oh. Um... Let's try this one again. Who do you know more about?"

"Mai."

"Uh... Who were you shopping for just now?"

"Mai."

Aang groned. "Forget this! Just wake up!"

Zuko opened his eyes to find himself in the bed of his house. He seriously needed help. The Fire Lord decided to grab something to eat before trying sleep again. No young Avatar came to his aid.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoO 

There's an old Earth Kingdom proverb that goes, 'Revenge is a dish best served cold.'

But she never found that to be the case.

In fact, she found quite the opposite to be true. Revenge was best served very, _very_ hot.

It was a dish to be served hot, but also very slowly. It had many courses. It was something to be drawn out, so that the recipient may be able to properly appreciate it and all the work that went into it.

Revenge was a dish to be carefully crafted, so that the personal message made itself very clear.

That was her reasoning. If one was going to go to all the trouble to get revenge, one might as well go about it the right way.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: **So, uh, sorry for the anticlimactic-ness of this chapter. Honestly, when the two of us sat down to plot this out and we came to this point, we just wrote in big letters **TIMESKIP **and figured we would know what to do when the time came. We didn't. So this is our way of showing that.

I _promise _there's more Zuko coming up in the next chapter. Cross my heart.

Also, updates may be a bit more scattered now that school is picking up… I'm taking mostly honors/AP classes, so that may not leave a whole lot of time for writing. We'll do our best, though.

**Chapter Twelve**

From: Aurora

To: Ta Min

_Hey Min! _

_I've tried to talk to you in person, but you haven't been home. So I guess I'm stuck writing a letter. _

_I'm really glad we met and got to be friends, but I'm leaving for the Fire Nation soon. It's got nothing to do with you, or with the city or anything, just my own personal reasons. _

_The address I'll be staying at is on the back of this paper, in case you want to write back. You know you're always welcome to come and visit, if you can. _

_Again, I hope you understand that I really didn't want to leave... But this is just something I feel like I have to do. _

_Keep in touch! _

_Aurora_

To: Aurora

From: Ta Min

_Hello there. _

_I completely understand why you'd leave. I'd probably come along with if I wasn't so tied up here, what with work and whatnot. _

_I wish you luck in all your endeavors (which, for some reason, I get the feeling involve Zuko). _

_Min_

To: Ta Min

From: Aurora

_Hello again!_

_I suppose I'm just writing you because I have little better to do. Oh well. _

_You were right in saying that my endeavors had something to do with Zuko (or however you worded it). _

_I'm just going to come right out and say it. I like him. A lot. _

_I guess it was obvious, by the way you just guessed it right off the bat like that. _

_But... I don't really know what to do. Any advice? _

_I sound so pathetic, don't I? Oh well. _

_How are you and Hiryu (that _is _his name, right? I'm so bad at remembering) doing? Still together? _

_I need a distraction. Sorry for my rambling. I'm just going to stop writing and maybe get some sleep. _

_Aurora_

To: Aurora

From: Ta Min

_Hello Aurora. It's nice hearing from you again. _

_I'm sorry to hear about your Zuko troubles, but I'm the last person you should go to for romantic advice. Sorry. I wish you luck though._

_Me and Hiryu are still together, yes. He's incredibly sweet. _

_In fact, he brought me flowers just yesterday for our four-month anniversary. _

_I feel bad sharing that after hearing about your romantic ordeals. _

_To make up for it, I guess I do have some advice. There's a guy out there who will treat you right. He may or may not be Zuko, though. So just be aware. _

_That's all for today. _

_Ta Min_

To: Ta Min

From: Aurora

_That's so sweet of him! I'm glad you met him. _

_I suppose you're right. It's been, what, six months since I got here, and I still haven't gotten around to doing anything. Not that I could, considering he's living in the palace surrounded by guards._

_You know what? I'll write him a letter. Even if we can just be friends, that'd be good enough for me. _

_Thanks for giving me confidence, even though you're not actually here. _

_Speaking of, come visit! You and Hiryu both! If you've lost my address, it's on the back of this letter again. I'm sure you'd love it here. _

_Aurora_

To: Fire Lord Zuko

From: Aurora

_Hey Zuko. _

_I guess I should start off by apologizing. _

_I really didn't mean to come between you and Mai. That was really wrong of me. I hope you two get your differences worked out, you make a cute couple. _

_I know you've got a country to run and a world to rebuild, so I'll make this short. _

_I'm really sorry, but I hope we can talk again sometime. Just as friends. Seeing you in Ba Sing Sei, that made me realize how much I miss your friendship. _

_I hope you'll forgive me. _

_Aurora_

To: Sender

From: The Fire Nation Court

_Dear Aurora,_

_We're sorry to inform you that all personal messages to the Fire Lord cannot be delivered at this time. You're welcome to come to the Palace on any weekday from 9 to 7 to set up a meeting time with him. _

_We're sorry for the inconvenience. _

To: Aurora

From: Ta Min

_Sorry the letter took so long to get to you. I've been incredibly busy these last few weeks with the holiday season, and on top of that I haven't been feeling well. _

_I hope everything works out between you and Zuko. _

_In a few weeks when everything cools off (so to speak- the weather here's cold enough for my taste) I'm planning to take the time to come visit. Hiryu's been bugging me about it, and I figured it's about time I came back. When's good for you?_

_I wish you a happy solstice and whatever other holidays are going on around you. _

_Ta Min_

To: Ta Min

From: Aurora

_Anytime's good for me. Just swing by whenever. I'm looking forward to seeing you again!_

_The letter to Zuko didn't quite work out. I'll go into detail once you're here. It'll be nice to talk to someone about it. _

_I hope you get well soon if you're not already feeling better. _

_Aurora_

**AN: **See, I'm really glad there's so many people reading this story. I get little emails saying how many of you are favoriting/alerting this and it makes me happy. However, I don't really have the reviews to show for it… So maybe you can take the time to write something? Even a short "Great chapter!" or criticism would be _so _appreciated. Thanks a bunch in advance!


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: **I'm disappointed in you.

I got one email, and that was today. No reviews.

If everyone who's subscribed to this story could give one review, that would be brilliant. We'd have a lot more reviews. A lot more critique, a lot more morale, and of course a lot more to show off to our friends. ;)

I wasn't going to update today, but: one) today's the one-year anniversary of the story, and two) somebody this morning added this to story alert.

So yeah. I hope you enjoy the story as we develop the Aurora-Zuko-Mai triangle.

**Chapter Thirteen**

It had been well over half a year and Zuko had managed to remain single.

He wasn't sure whether to consider that an accomplishment or not. Not that it mattered much.

He had intended to go after Mai. He really had. He still kept her note, had the directions to the address memorized, and still had idle daydreams about finding her and apologizing.

He was just... _busy. _Really busy. As being the sole leader of a country can do to one sometimes.

He had been all around the world and back. To every major city in every major island and every major continent.

It was all for PR, everybody said. Making yourself look good to the people.

Most people, by now, at least had a degree of respect for him.

He'd never reach Avatar-level popularity. He never really _wanted _Avatar-level popularity. Being the savior of the world was a lot to put on a thirteen-year-old.

There wasn't much beyond that involved in the position of Fire Lord, though. He had realized that much of the actual legal stuff only needed his approval, and less of his involvement in the process.

Now, however, he had been given some time off for the holidays. Things still continued as usual, but there was less traveling, less meetings, less people in the palace.

And he had time on his hands.

He spent a lot of that time staring at the address.

_It's too late, _he told himself. _She's moved on. It's been too long for you to apologize. _

_But what if she's waiting for you, what if she's still wishing that you'd go to her, that you'd apologize and re-invite her to the palace... _

_What if she's waiting for you to go after her like Aurora was..._

He groaned and put his head in his hands.

The guilt was killing him. He _had _to go to Mai. It would continue to haunt him until he did.

oOoOoOoOoO

Zuko double and then triple-checked the address to make sure he got it right.

He took a deep breath and walked up to the door.

_Knock knock knock. _

He could hear some voices from beyond the door, though he couldn't tell what they were saying. He almost thought he saw the edge of the curtains move, but he couldn't be certain.

The door opened, slowly.

Mai was speaking to someone inside the house. "I'll just be a minute." She then turned her head to Zuko and stepped outside, quietly closing the door.

"Fire Lord Zuko," she said with a small bow. "To what do I owe the pleasure." Her deadpan tone made it unclear whether it was a question or not.

"Mai, I was just... Agni, I'm no good at this," he stumbled. "Look, I just want to say- I'm sorry."

She looked at him, in that same cool, calculated expression she had always had. "I would be sorry too," she said at last.

"I know I screwed up. Big time. But-"

"Let me stop you there," she said. "I've been given a lot of time to think about this. A lot of time that _you _gave me. And I'm not going to fall for the water works this time."

Zuko felt oddly stung, but let Mai continue.

"I gave you _everything,_" she hissed at him. "I gave up everything for you. And do you know what you did to me? You took it, and you threw it away. You _used _me, Zuko, and then, when your pretty little toy was all worn out, you threw me away and found a new one."

"Mai, that's not-"

"But it _is, _Zuko. You know it is. To you, I was interesting, at first. I was pretty. I was someone who trusted you, and who you trusted. And _then _you got tired of me. You found somebody prettier, somebody who was flashier than me. And you just gave me up."

Zuko was completely unable to form words.

"Now look through my eyes for a minute. If you can. Here was this guy, this guy who understood why I was the way I was, and who didn't care. Who had been disfigured but I didn't care, I understood why you were that way, and I didn't care. He was nice, and I could trust him and I felt like he trusted me. I had built my life around him. I had made major decisions based on him, even when he didn't seem like he cared about me any more. And, one day, we had a little petty fight. That had happened before and it would happen again. Until I hear that the Fire Lord had been stuffing his tongue down some other girl's throat."

Mai delivered this entire story deadpan, without a hint of emotion. That wasn't exactly surprising, but for some reason it took Zuko off guard.

"I was broken. So I ran, left him with the information to follow me if he wanted to, or leave me if he didn't. It took him _seven months _for him to figure it out and show up. By which time I had decided I was and am still happier without him."

Zuko spent several seconds trying to remember how to form words. "Mai..."

"Good afternoon, Fire Lord Zuko."

Mai quietly turned around and headed back into her house, leaving Zuko dumbfounded on her doorstep.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Five _months?_"

"That's what I said!"

"That's not fair. Not fair to you, not fair to him, not fair to anyone involved."

"I _know._"

Min was listening intently. "So what did you _do?_"

Aurora shrugged. "I made an appointment. Five months from today. I've waited this long, right?" She gave a sad smile. "I guess I'll just wait and see. Thanks for listening to me rant, by the way."

"Any time. I still think you should go back and give them a piece of your mind."

"I almost did. But you know, he's busy. I'd rather not bother him."

"That attitude isn't going to get you anywhere, you know."

"I know."

There was a space of silence.

"So what have you and Hiryu been doing?"

"Nothing much. Saving up."

"What for?"

"We're not really sure."

Aurora laughed. "Well, glad to see you two have made plans."

Min smiled.

There was another pause. "You _sure _you can wait that long?"

"Of course I can!" Aurora said. Min simply looked her. "Okay! So maybe I can't! But what am I supposed to do? Just waltz right in there and force them to let me in?" Another look. "You truly are a terrible influence. You know that right?" Silence. "Fine! I'll go! Just stop with that look."

Aurora got up from the table they were sitting at and swiftly walked down the street. Min smiled as she watched her golden hair disappear.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"Sorry, ma'am. We already told you. You cannot see the Fire Lord until the date of your appointment. Then you will have one hour to speak with him."

Aurora stood in front of the man writing away on his scroll at his wooden desk. He was slightly old, he had hair that was grey and thinning. She had already spoken with two other men on the matter and each had said the exact same thing.

He continued the speech. Aurora got a mental image of a little script being handed out to each of these people every morning. "You should consider yourself lucky. Most people only get five minutes with him."

"Well I don't! I want to see the Fire Lord _now_! Is that too much to ask?"

The man sighed and looked up, removing his glasses. "Young lady, many claim that they know the Fire Lord personally. You deserve no special treatment. Just because you have a little crush on him doesn't mean you'll get to see him any sooner."

"A... What?" Aurora puffed up larger than a ticked off cat. "Listen buddy! I _do _know the Fire Lord, I do _not _have a little crush on him, and so help me, I had better see him!"

"Young lady, do I need to call security?"

"Go ahead and try!" she laughed. "I could firebend your sorry little butt to the courtyard and back!"

Now the man laughed. "Big talk." He laughed some more before freezing, staring at something behind Aurora.

"I'd listen to her if I were you. She really could."

Aurora spun around to see none other than Fire Lord Zuko standing there with an ever-so-slight smirk on his face. He seemed slightly taller than when she had last seen him. Which was a frightening thought, as she remembered how small she looked next to him before. She beamed and ran up to him, without thinking, and hugged him tightly.

"S-sir? You," the man gulped. "You know this girl?"

"Yeah. I haven't seen her in seven or so months."

Aurora couldn't help but childishly stick her tongue out at the stunned man. He turned an angry red before settling back in his chair. The girl smiled before realizing she was still hugging Zuko. She turned a bright pink and let go hastily.

"S-sorry about that," she managed.

"It's no big deal." He smiled and began to walk toward the main part of the building. Zuko stopped and turned around. "Aren't you coming, Rory?"

She nodded quickly and ran to catch up with him.

They were silent for a few moments.

"So, what are you doing here?"

Aurora blinked at the honest question. She had been lost in her own thoughts. "Huh?"

"I asked what you were doing here."

"Oh! Um..." What _was_ she doing there? She had been so set on seeing him, so determined to tell him something. But now that she was here, Aurora couldn't remember anything. "Uh... I wanted to drop by and say hi," she finished lamely. _Idiot._

"Just that?" To be honest, he was a little disappointed. "I see."

"Did you know the waiting list to see you is over five months long?" she asked incredulously. "You really need to do something about that. They also returned the letter I sent to you, saying something like you're not allowed to get direct mail or something."

He nodded. "I know. They know and I know and _you _know that I'm not the most popular person in the Fire Nation. And I have no relatives. No heirs. So they're... quite protective."

Aurora blushed at the word 'heirs,' and she didn't quite know why.

"I suppose that makes sense," she said. "But still. It's frustrating."

"I know," he said again. "Believe me, _I know._"

"You're doing a good job, though," Aurora said. "I mean, running the Fire Nation. Lots of people like you." She mentally slapped herself. That sounded so _weird! _

He shrugged. "There's still a lot of Ozai's supporters out there. They're listening to what their parents and grandparents tell them about the War, not what we have to say. Which is reasonable enough," he added. "But it's... challenging."

Aurora nodded, then finally decided she couldn't take this any more. "Why are you being so distant?" she demanded. "What happened to Ba Sing Sei? Or years and years ago? I just want to be friends, Zuko, I'm not asking for anything more than that." She stopped and turned to face him.

"Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind right now." He paused. "Aurora, do you want to come over later?"

_Co... WHAT?_

He said something else, but she wasn't listening. Her brain suddenly became a jumbled mess. _It's just to talk, nothing else. It's nothing like _that_. He... He doesn't like you that way! You shouldn't think like that! Ew!_

That 'h' word came to her mind again and she turned a bright pink.

"I... Huh?" she managed stupidly.

"Do you want to come over later for dinner or something? I'm just busy right now, there's a lot to do."

_Something?_

"D... Dinner sounds great!" _See! Just dinner!_

"All right. I'll contact you." He smiled. "You probably know the way out."

Aurora nodded. "I do. I mean- yeah, I'll talk to you later. Um, bye."

Crimson, she excused herself.

She stopped near the door. She had to ask. No matter how much the answer terrified her, she had to ask. Aurora turned around.

"Hey, Blaze?"

The Fire Lord stopped and turned around.

"How are things with you and-" She took a deep breath and forced the name out. "Mai?"

He looked at the ground and didn't speak for a moment. "She's still mad." He paused. "I think," he added.

"Oh... I'm sorry."

"It's alright. It... It's not your fault." Zuko was slightly surprised at how easily the words came out. "I'll see you later." He turned and began walking again.

"Yeah," she said quietly, smiling when she was sure he couldn't see. "See you." Aurora walked out the door, beaming.

**AN: **Sorry if Mai was a little OOC. I tried to keep her in character, but I also wanted to show her motivations and a long internal monologue didn't seem interesting to me.

By the way, I know this is focusing more on the romance side of the story. Chapter 14 is almost entirely written now and we promise it focuses more on the main plot.

You want one more reason to review?

Today's Marissa's (my co-writer) birthday. This story was actually a birthday present to her, and here we are one year later.

So review for her!


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: **One: thank you for the reviews. Cookies for everyone!

Two: thanks for sticking with us even though our posts have been infrequent. Between school and NaNoWriMo, things have been pretty busy.

Three: enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter Fourteen**

To say that all hell broke loose would be something of an understatement.

Not that Azula would know. She was miles away before it was discovered she had escaped.

If it was one thing she was good at, it was lying. And by extension, disguises came naturally to her.

She already looked different than she did. Her hair was much longer, and worn down in a decidedly inelegant style. She was slightly thinner, though probably not enough to be noticed by many. Her voice and mannerisms had changed, if only out of habit, and they could be useful in returning to the general public.

It had been nearly a year. Azula had some research to do on the new Fire Lord.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoO 

The more she looked around, the more self-conscious she felt.

Nobody else was wearing a dress.

Aurora liked dresses. She liked the way they pooled at her feet and the way the skirt moved when she spun in a circle.

But as she sat in the crowded square, she realized that the Fire Nation was not particularly big on dresses.

She idly kicked her feet, toying with the bread she had been given without feeling particularly hungry.

It was apparently a good restaurant. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so _crowded. _

She could see the place had a few tables with men wearing the thick robes of the Fire Nation Royal Guard. They would be keeping an eye on her, or more specifically, Zuko.

Aurora stared at the empty chair across from her. Why dinner? Why in a restaurant? Wouldn't, say, a picnic lunch on the palace grounds be a lot less... romantic?

Three more guards came in and quietly took a seat, without getting any food. They seemed to be in conversation, but Aurora knew that it was all an act. She knew how the politics of the Nation worked.

Finally, Zuko came through. He gave a polite nod to the waiter and scanned the square for Aurora. She ducked her head and stared at the bread in her hand as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Aurora knew he would immediately spot her. With her hair, she stuck out easily in crowds, not to mention she had stupidly worn blue.

As expected, he was soon sitting in the chair directly across from her.

"Good evening, Rory."

Aurora wasn't exactly sure why, but she felt a tiny bit of blood rush to her cheeks when he spoke. She had to get this whole blushing thing under control. It was just Zuko after all.

"Good evening, Blaze." She peeked up and immediately regretted it. He looked nice. He was wearing a robe and had his hair tied back neatly. Aurora looked down at her own dress and tugged on the long sleeve. She shouldn't have worn a dress, especially a blue one. She should have worn red...

"Don't you like the bread? I know you used to love it."

Aurora smiled a little, against her will, still looking at her bread. His attempts at conversation were adorably awkward. She looked up to see Zuko cutting his bread. "Uh, yeah. I still love bread. It's just... I dunno." Aurora took a tiny bite of the bread. She usually didn't care what people thought of her. So why was she trying to make a good impression?

He smiled at her and bit into his bread. Aurora took a small sip of her tea and swallowed it quickly, trying not to cough. It was hot. _Very _hot. Zuko looked up at her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she lied through her teeth. "I'm fine."

"Too hot?" he guessed. She simply nodded. "You should blow on it next time." Another nod. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Um... Yeah... I just..."

_You just what? Face it. You are such a little kid! You're acting like a grade school girl with a major crush!_

_But I just want to be friends! I do! I really honestly do!_

_You and I both know that's not true. Just tell him what you're thinking! Do it!_

_But... I... All right! All right! _

"I just think that this is all kind of... Romantic, is all and... Yeah... Never mind." She opened her menu and began to look through the entrees and finally settled on a salad. Which was odd to her because she didn't really care for salad.

She refused to look up. Even when he said her name. Aurora just simply fiddled with the tip of her hair. When they were little, she and Zuko never felt awkward around each other. It had just come naturally. But now? Now was a _whole_ different kind of situation. The waiter took their order and walked away before she finally looked up to see Zuko fiddling with his bread, looking as awkward as she felt.

A memory flitted back to her. When they ate, she and Zuko would always dissect their bread and only eat the fluffy inside. She giggled a little bit. He looked up.

"Is there something funny?"

"Hm?" she said, halting her giggles but still smiling. "Oh, nothing." She picked up her piece of bread and pulled out the fluffy part, popping it in her mouth.

Zuko couldn't help but smile. It was her habit, she never did like the crust of bread. Their food came and that's when he noticed Aurora had ordered a salad.

"Don't you hate salad?"

He smiled when she turned bright pink and shrugged.

Something was... different about her. Of course she was different... She was older. She had been through more. She seemed... more mature. But she still had that smile.

Aurora sighed and put down her fork. "Zuko, what on earth are we doing?"

The Fire Lord paused in his eating. "Having dinner?"

She sighed again. "You know what I mean."

He didn't say anything. Didn't move, didn't speak, didn't do anything. He did understand what she meant. Zuko was about to speak when Aurora interrupted him.

"You know what I said last time. You're with Mai. I know you are. You may still be mad at each other but... You'll get back together. You know it, and I know it. She's nobility... A good choice really. Mai is... Really a nice person deep down." Each word she spoke tore her own heart apart. She had to get it through his thick Fire Nation skull that Mai would go back to him. "She's good for you," she added, as if trying to convince herself of the reality. "Good for you, good for the country... Good for all involved..." She supposed she was babbling now and quickly shut up.

"Aurora, I don't think you get it. Mai _is_ nice deep down but..." He reached toward her but she pulled away.

"No..." she interrupted. "Just stop... This isn't right." She grabbed her bag and prepared to leave when he grabbed her hand.

"Rory." His voice sounded so serious. Slowly, hesitantly, she looked up at him. His eyes were looking directly into hers and, somehow, she knew what he was going to say next. It terrified her. It unnerved her. And yet, she couldn't help but stay where she was. "I think... I think Mai and I are through."

Her world exploded. A million possibilities soared through her mind before it suddenly went blank. Aurora couldn't remember how to breathe, how to speak. She blinked, hoping it showed Zuko her confusion.

He smiled gently and tightened his grip on her hand. Blood rushed to her cheeks and she felt her hands tremble.

"Is it that hard to believe?" Slowly, she nodded. "I _know_ Mai and I are done."

She gave a small smile, her cheeks becoming an even brighter crimson, and looked down at her leafy dinner.

"Well?"

Aurora nodded, not letting go of his hand.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Zuko sat in his room and silently wondered what had just happened.

He wondered what exactly had come over him during that dinner. He didn't need anybody else in his life- he was having a tough time enough on his own.

So _why _had he led her on like that? Why had he told her, why had he...

He hung his head in his hands.

He had screwed up. Zuko had finally decided to just stay single until he got his life straightened out. But now? No way was that happening. His life would now become even more complicated than before, if that was possible. He now had his hair down and Zuko ran a frustrated hand through it.

"S-sir!"

The Fire Lord looked up to see a messenger running toward him, a scroll in his hand. Zuko immediately knew something was wrong by the frantic look and the man's face.

"Yes? What is it?"

The messenger stopped in front of him and gulped down some air, holding his side. "A message from," he began as he gulped more air into his lungs. "The prison. Shang Island. Your sister is... Is... Gone."

"_WHAT?_"

Zuko took the scroll and read over it quickly, somewhat praying it wasn't true. If it was, he knew what was coming. He felt his anger rising and crumpled the paper.

"I want everyone out looking for her! I want wanted posters and a reward to go to anyone that catches her!"

The messenger gave a tired bow. "Yes, Sir." Then, he ran off down the hall he had come.

_Azula? Out of prison? It's impossible!_

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he should have known. No mere prison could hold Azula. No matter the amount of security around her.

He ran another frustrated hand through his hair and resisted his typical urge to firebend in order to release his anger. Zuko knew she was planning something. Something to do with him. He had, after all, sent her to a rehabilitation prison. No doubt _that _pissed her off.

All forms of hell were sure to come.


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: **Sorry, we've taken FOREVER to update. We've been super-busy lately! Swim team and band and school musicals and all that nonsense. However, enjoy the chapter!  
_Also, if anybody is a fan of fairy tales like "Cinderella", "Beauty and the Beast", and "Rapunzel", I (Teresa) have a new story out called _The Kingdoms_. You can find it on my profile. So far it's received some good feedback, so check it out! :) _

**Chapter Fifteen**

Min liked the forest at night.

It was quiet. Not the dead silence of a town at night, but the lively kind of silence. Quiet movements through the canopies and along the ground, rapid and often deadly.

Her feet were bare, and she held her gold slippers under her arm. One of her hands was in Hiryu's, and another was holding a pair of red flowers that she couldn't remember the name of.

"The clearing should be right up here, if I remember," she said, more to herself than to him.

He didn't say anything, just watching.

"It's strange," she said. "I mean, I only visited this place once in my whole life. But I feel like I know it."

"Maybe that just means we're lost," Hiryu said.

She rolled her eyes. "We aren't lost. The forest isn't even that thick anyway."

Hiryu looked around. "Yeah. We're lost."

"No, we're not. Look, the clearing is right over here." Min led him through the trees and brought it to him. "It's just like I remember."

"This is where..."

"This is where I met them. The group of refugees." She looked around. "I can almost see it. Their campfire and little tents and everything..."

"It's beautiful, Min."

She nodded, taking in the scene. It was dusk, and the blue-orange light illuminated the trees and plants in a way that looked magical.

"This place is wonderful," she whispered.

He didn't say anything.

He just leaned down to kiss her.

* * *

Her golden hair whipped the air behind her as she skipped down the streets of the Fire Nation. The sky was clear, without a cloud in sight.

_Sweet spring! _Aurora thought happily, turning left towards a fountain.

She couldn't wait to tell Min _everything_. She was so excited and happy, yet she wasn't quite sure why. The entire world just seemed so utterly perfect at that moment! Aurora turned another corner and smiled at some children who ran past her, laughing and kicking a ball as they went. She sighed and continued her walk.

It was only a short while later when she turned a corner and saw a group of men sitting around a table, playing Ma Jong. One of them seemed oddly familiar to the girl.

He had amber eyes and dark brown hair that had begun to gray in places, like most Fire Nation men. The man seemed very concentrated on the game as his friends laughed and drank. The sight of him ran a very unwelcome chill through Aurora's slender frame. This man... Something told her that what she remembered of him wasn't good.

Aurora pondered this, tilted her head slightly as she looked at him. She could almost touch it... A memory that she had forced herself to forget... It was at the edge of her mind when the man sat back, looking satisfied with his move. His eyes met hers only for a moment before Aurora had turned, sprinting the other way in her red attire.

The golden-haired girl only stopped to catch her breath a few minutes later when she was back in front of the fountain. She gulped air into her lungs and looked back, afraid she had been followed. No mysterious man with graying hair appeared. With that, Aurora sat down on the edge of the fountain.

The water behind her seemed to give off a soothing aura that calmed her. It was her primary element. Being near it made her feel... Safe. Protected. That is, until she saw the poster.

It was attached to the building across from her, a picture taking up most of the paper. Slowly, she got up and walked over to it. The image slowly became clearer. Dark hair, even darker eyes. The tan parchment revealed a reward at the bottom. One that even Aurora had to admit bordered on the obscene. Except for this person. As she looked at the name, the girl thought that the price seemed all too low. Aurora would give any amount of money to the person who found her.

Azula, after all, nearly killed the Avatar.


	16. Chapter 16

**AN:** So, since every single chapter starts with an apology for making you wait for the next update, I'm just going to stop. Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter Sixteen**

The attack needed to be precise. Succinct, and deadly. There wasn't time to do anything less. Then again, she wanted to make him suffer. Cause him to feel completely powerless. She would take his world away, like he had taken her's.

* * *

They hadn't seen each other for about nine months. So it wasn't a wonder that Aurora nearly tackled Ta Min as she and Hiryu entered the Fire Nation Palace. The golden haired girl beamed and began to talk frantically with her best friend, who was doing her best to understand the long string of words.

"Rory, don't talk her to death." The Fire Lord entered the room, a tired expression on his face from a recent meeting with the top generals of the Fire Nation. He smiled at the two guests and joined the small group.

"Min! I am so happy you made it! Lunch is almost ready, and it feels like it's been forever!" Aurora's clear blue eyes were wide with excitement, while Min's amber eyes were simply wide with awe that anyone could talk that fast and still enunciate.

Hiryu and Zuko looked at each other. Hiryu had only met Aurora once and raised an eyebrow. The other man shrugged, as if to say this was normal behavior. They decided to let Aurora wear herself out before trying to say anything.

"And the best," she tried to say as the girl gulped down air. "The best spot I want to take you... You to is..." She groaned and gave up. "Forget it! I'll tell you later."

"Perhaps I should have said, 'Rory, don't talk yourself to death' instead."

She glared. "Shut up."

Zuko gave a chuckle before addressing the other two. "So, shall we go have lunch, now that Aurora is quiet?"

Everyone nodded, and the four headed down the wide hallways, the dark-haired girl catching her friend up on her own life.

Soon, the were all sitting around a square table, laughing, eating, and talking. Zuko and Hiryu had never met, but found out that they were able to talk as easily as Aurora and Ta Min. The sun was high in the blue sky and light beamed down on them from outside. A man came out and gave them all something to drink.

"Cheers," Aurora said, raising her cup. "To friendship."

As soon as she took a sip of the drink, she immediately knew something was wrong. Her vision turned upside-down. She saw Zuko and the others about to take a drink.

"Stop!"

Zuko and Hiryu's hands froze in the middle of raising their glasses, but the liquid was already in Min's mouth. She coughed and spat, dropping the glass onto the ground. The color drained from Aurora's face and her eyelids slid closed. Min faintly noticed trembles going throughout her body. She felt hot and cold at the same time. Hiryu was by her side in an instant, calling out something her brain could no longer process.

The world went dark, a haze of smoke and fog coming over her.

"Min! Can you hear me? You have to tell me what's wrong or I can't help!"

"Aurora, are you okay? What's happening?"

The golden haired girl was still barely conscious. She fought against the familiar taste and sensation that penetrated her body. Aurora felt the cold sweats come on, the feeling of freezing to death while being burned alive. Her vision was so fuzzy that she couldn't tell what was what.

"I need some doctors here, now! Aurora, if you can, tell me what's going on."

She had to tell him. His voice sounded more frantic then she had ever heard it. He needed to know she would be okay. Whoever had done this didn't realize her history.

"Ka... Kamu... Jin... Le..." Her voice was trembling so much that the girl couldn't get it out. Aurora felt the darkness coming on and fought against it. She knew what was after the darkness. She wouldn't let herself succumb to those horrors again.

Someone was moving her, feeling her neck, raising her off the ground. Inaudible voices were swarming her. She heard someone say Min's name, someone yell out her own. Comforting words were being said somewhere by someone as she was carried by unfamiliar arms. Soothing words didn't help when she was trying desperately to stay awake.

_Don't let go! Fight! Hold on for as long as you can! You've beaten this thing! You can do it again!_

"It's all right, Lady Aurora. Relax."

The darkness enveloped her.

* * *

"What's wrong with them?"

Zuko and Hiryu stood outside two doors that were side by side with an older man. Both of them were on edge and had been waiting for results for the past hour.

"We're not exactly sure what caused it, but we are having someone examine their symptoms and your drinks to try and find out. I'm sure they should be fine though. These two young ladies are very strong and are fighting whatever this is as best as they can," the older man with dark hair reassured.

"I want you to hurry and find out who did this," said Zuko, his arms folded across his chest as he tried to suppress his anger and fear. Hiryu nodded in agreement.

"Of course, sir. If you will follow me, we can go and meet Tai Long, the doctor researching this."

The men were at the end of the hallway when they heard the scream.

* * *

_"I won't let you hurt him! Get away from me!"_

_They were closing in around her. She couldn't stop them. There was absolutely nothing she could do. She would die, and then they would kill _

_him._

Kill them.

_She listened to the voice. The girl wasn't conscious of what she was doing, she simply acted on instinct. The screams meant nothing. This was her only way out._

Kill them all.

_Her hands moved swiftly, impaling each of them. Not one was left alive. That wasn't what terrified her, though. She laughed. That's what scared her. She laughed like a giddy little girl who had finally gotten a new toy. Something else she could do in her spare time._

_Slowly, her own laughter died as she took in the scene around her. Ice stuck out of bodies that were now connected to trees. Red was splattered everywhere and shone in the light of the full moon. It was on her hands. It was in her hair. It stained everything it touched._

_She walked over to the nearest body and tapped him gently._

_"Lan?"_

_The body fell from it's sitting position onto it's side._

_"Th-that's not funny, Lan. Get up."_

_It didn't move as tears began to streak down the young girl's cheeks. Her hands trembled as she gently nudged him again, melting the ice that was protruding from his chest._

_"Come on... It's time to go back... Don't you want to go back?...You said you would teach me Ma Jong... And take me on a date... Aren't you going to take me out for dinner?... A real one... Where we pay for it... You said you would... So... Get up..."_

_The tears continued to fall._

_"Come on... Get up..."_

You don't love him anyway.

_"I do... I really do..."_

You wouldn't have killed him then.

_She looked up, as if the voice was coming from somewhere above._

_"But... You told me to! You said to kill them all!"_

Since when do you do as your told? He's dead. He's not coming back. Dead. And you killed him, you bitch.

_"I didn't mean to! I didn't! Oh Agni, I didn't mean to do it!"_

You never loved him anyway. He was always second

_"I don't love Zuko! I hate him!" Sobs shook her small shoulders. Her golden hair was slick with a muddy mixture of blood and dirt. She desperately tried wipe the red off her hands._

It's no use. Trying to wash it off will make it worse.

_"I hate him... I hate him..." she muttered, as if trying to convince herself._

Then you don't mind that he's walking away?

_She turned her head to see a long, white pathway. The trees faded around her and she stood up shakily. Zuko stood near the end, if there was one. He looked at her once, before turning away._

_"Z-Zuko? Wait... Wait! Wait for me!"_

_She ran towards him, calling out. He still seemed to get further and further away. She reached out, almost as though she could touch him if she stretched far enough. The girl tripped and fell face-first into a pool of red._

* * *

He knew the scream. It was the same one from back then. The same scream he had heard when the branch broke. The scream that meant danger.

Zuko ran back down the hallway as fast as he could and flung open the door to Aurora's room. Ice shards were everywhere. The woman who had been watching over her was cowering in a corner, holding a tray like a shield. The girl on the bed was shaking violently, a broken water vase on the ground next to her. She was white and sweating, gripping at her covers. The Fire Lord knelt down next to her and grabbed her hand. It was then that he noticed the tears streaming down her face. He shook her slightly, gripping her hand tightly.

"Aurora," he said quietly, gripping her arm now and trying to get her to calm down. "Rory, it's time to wake up."

"I'm sorry..." she muttered, tossing her head from side to side. "Don't leave... Don't leave me..."

He was trying to keep his calm, for her sake. But the way she was acting made him fear the worst.

"Come on, Aurora. Wake up."

"Don't leave me, Zuko... I'm sorry... Don't leave me alone..."

The Fire Lord jumped slightly at hearing his name. He brushed some wet hair out of her drained and hot face, trying not to let his emotions get the better of him.

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. If you open your eyes, you'll see. I won't leave you."

"No... NO!"

The ice in the room shuddered and the other woman tightened her grip on the make-shift shield. Aurora was thrashing again and Zuko did his best to hold her down.

"Wake up! Aurora, I beg of you! You need to wake up!"

Her eyes sprung open. In a panic, she looked around at the ice shards everywhere, then straight up at the ceiling. It was almost as if she was still trapped in a dream.

"Aurora."

She looked over to see Zuko breathing heavily, a relieved look on his face. Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Please don't leave me," she said quietly, her voice cracking.

"I won't."


End file.
